Innocence is Blind
by FrostedPurpleIrises91
Summary: On a freshly conquered planet, General Grievous crosses paths with a 5yr old orphan. She reminds him of a past that he can no longer enjoy and he must decide on giving her a second chance at life or not. GGxOC bonding. NO ROMANCE. T for violence/death. Sequel is up!
1. Chapter 1 Amongst the Ashes

**Hey all! :) Okay well this fic was a totally spur of the moment idea and I decided to start writing it while it was still fresh in my head! I hope to God I didn't make Grievous too OOC in this but I tried to keep him in character as best as I could. This originally was supposed to be a oneshot but I decided to make it a longer fic and expand on the whole plot a some more. Anyway, R&R please! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its characters! I do own the OCs!**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 1 Amongst the Ashes

(Borealia, a CIS pacified planet- 19.5 b.b.y.)

Onyx feathers glistened in the waning sunlight. The raven shuffled its deep plumage and began to preen itself. It was perched securely on a partially caved in roof of a ravaged home that was once full of life and happiness just a day earlier. The bird was indifferent to all the carnage around it because its gizzard was already full of rotten meat. All around the ruined city, an atmosphere of eerie silence prevailed. Other ravens and scavengers perused the area, on the lookout for free meals.

"…Must get out...!"

The raven took flight as it heard heaving breathing and gasping breaths just around the corner of the home. A lone clone trooper dragged himself through the ghost town with intentions to escape this physical Hell. His right leg had been mangled and bent horribly as if it had been a twig. The armor he wore was practically in tatters and falling off his battered frame. The trooper's left elbow was shattered, rendering his whole arm virtually useless. He was so weak he could barely wield his blaster rifle. All he could do was crawl away and try to find help.

The battle that had been waged just two hours earlier was by far one of the bloodiest he had ever seen. He had been at Geonosis two and a half years earlier but now he considered that dusty and arid planet to be a playground in comparison to Borealia. Before his very eyes, his general, a Jedi Master, had been tossed about like a rag doll by the CIS' supreme commander. In truth, the only way the clone had survived the initial carnage was by playing dead. When the droid forces finally vacated the sector he was in, he decided to make his sluggish escape. His brothers were all dead and he was completely alone on a once Republican planet.

Twilight was practically there and he would have to resort to the lights on his helmet to proceed. Yet at the same time, it was a risk he could not afford to take right now. The trooper decided to take a chance and try to hobble away on his better leg. Painfully, he stood up. His whole frame was wracked by misery, fatigue and agony but he forced himself to go on. All he had to do was flee and survive. He could avenge his comrades later.

Just then, he could hear a clanking noise through his helmet. The adrenaline in his body invigorated his senses and he knew exactly what this noise was: droids.

"Check over here," a B1 sergeant ordered its subordinates. "The General said to leave no surviving clones alive."

Cursing under his breath, the clone trooper fell onto his rump and attempted to crawl into the ruins of a home for cover. Rubble had completely blockaded the doorway and the windows were framed with jagged glass.

"No," he muttered, "I can't go like this...!"

"I hear something," a droid's electrical voice sounded.

The battle droids began to close in and the trooper saw the beams of light their flashlights emitted that were built into the blaster rifles. His heart began to beat faster as he could almost sense things were going to get worse.

He couldn't be more right.

There was a presence behind the clone that made the poor soldier forget about the droids completely. This threat was far more menacing and grim than any droid the greedy capitalists could dish out. At this point, he wouldn't even try to get up to vainly run away. It was hopeless and rather he exhaled, accepting death.

A huge metal talon smashed into his spine, crunching it even though it was concealed by the trooper's armor. Beneath his helmet, his eyes were shut and his expression was calm.

Seconds later, the battle droids rounded the street corner. General Grievous stood bathed by his troops' flashlights. Under his right foot, there was the freshly deceased survivor. The Kaleesh cyborg's eyes gleamed with the ferocity of a krayt dragon.

"You missed one," he said, digging his talons deeper into the clone's body. "I might as well do this little task all by myself." Grievous approached the droids. "Have you crossed any paths with civilians or soliders?"

"Negative, General," the sergeant reported. "All the organics we have come across are nothing more than sustenance for the scavenging fauna."

"Leave them be where they lay. This world is ours now and there is no way the Republic will be able to claim their dead. Sergeant, select two of your fellow droids and follow me. The rest of you go back to the encampments. We will finish the sweep of this sector and then resume our searches tomorrow."

"Roger, roger."

Grievous fingered the blades around his waist and within his war cloak. Not a lightsaber was out of place, just as he liked. In the darkening landscape, he preferred to not use his lightsabers to provide light so that he may see. The reason for this was because he liked to surprise any unwitting survivors and then promptly kill them. The high he got off the thrill of the hunt was amongst some of the rare traits he hadn't lost while he was transplanted into his duranium shell.

The three droids that accompanied Grievous walked behind him cautiously and gave him a fair amount of space. They were more than aware that their kind had the tendency to always tread on thin ice in his presence. The battle droids feared nothing except for him. Not even the threat of being melted down for scrap by the Republic was as horrible a fate as being on their leader's bad side. Even the daunting MagnaGuards at times felt intimidated standing beside their lord.

By now, any traces of sunlight were extremely faint and a half full moon hung in the sky. Despite the fact that smoke from the earlier battle should've called for a concealing and heavy evening, the moon and stars actually radiated enough light to make it bright enough for one to travel without a flashlight. Aside from all the carnage around them, Borealia's northern hemisphere was currently locked in a pleasant early summer evening.

Grievous and his droid companions prowled through the abandoned streets bypassing many dead, both droid and organic. Everything was quiet and was pretty much expected of a war torn area. The general was slightly disappointed when he was met with these barren conditions since he hoped to terrorize an already frightened and disoriented individual. Twenty minutes went by since the four embarked on their walk and they saw nothing of interest.

"Well, this almost seems to be a waste of time," sighed Grievous. "Let's head back to our respective side of the battlefront. We will continue tomorrow at dawn."

"Roger, roger," the droids said in perfect unison.

Then from behind him, Grievous heard a rock shift. The droids didn't seem to notice and they began to travel back to the Separatist encampment. His reptilian eyes narrowed and he stealthily grabbed for a blade around his waist. He was certain there was someone with him.

"There is no use in hiding from me!" he growled. "I know where you are!"

The half droid spun around with two lightsabers drawn. What he saw caught him completely off guard. He slightly loosened his hold on his blades. For a moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Grievous was standing only a few feet away from a little Human girl. She was a tiny individual, hinting to the fact she must only be five years old at the most. From the green and blue light the blades cast in the darkness, he could identify her facial features: her hair was auburn and her eyes were ocean blue. Her skin was quite pale but that could be due to the fear she felt. Her eyes were huge and filled with innocence and life. On the outside, Grievous couldn't see her fear but he knew that on the inside she felt it.

The seconds that passed between them seemed to turn into centuries. Neither of them refused to look away from the other. At last, the girl's mouth parted and she spoke.

"Please help me…" she said almost inaudibly.

Grievous was aware that children died all the time in war. He was aware that he had issued bombings and attacks on civilians to induce terror in the eyes of his foes. But now that he had one standing right before him, looking into his eyes, he felt a little uncomfortable.

"Please help me, mister," the child repeated. Tears began to form in her eyes. "My Mommy and my Daddy died today. I'm all alone and I don't know what to do. I'm scared…"

He deactivated the lightsabers and reared himself up to his full height. His arms folded across his chest and he continued to study the girl.

"No," Grievous said coldly, "I can't."

They were standing in front of the shattered remains of her old home. This residence wasn't as badly damaged as the majority of the others but it had its share of destruction. He took a few steps forward, brushing past the little Human. Grievous stood in the doorway and looked around. To his right, there was a room whose roof had completely caved in. Beneath the rubble, he saw a hand sticking out. Then he exited the house and focused his attention back on her.

"Go into your home, little one," he said.

"My Mommy's hand is sticking out from the mess!" she said waveringly. "The roof fell on her and my Daddy is beneath it too!"

His patience was dwindling. His claws rolled into fists and tensed.

"I said no," Grievous exerted venomously. "I do not have the time or desire to help you. You should be happy that I am going to spare you. But if you push your luck, you'll be as cold and as lifeless as your parents." He extended his arm and pointed to the home. "Now go in and leave me be."

Obediently yet sorrowfully, the girl retreated into her home. She sat in her doorway cross legged and continued to watch him from a distance. Grievous walked backwards, making sure she wouldn't end up following him.

After putting some distance between themselves, the cyborg turned his back on her and retreated into the dark streets. He was glad the droids weren't with him during that little incident…


	2. Chapter 2 Sweet Dreams

**Hey guys! Thank you very much for the reviews and I'm glad you like the fic so far. :) Your feedback keeps me going! Grievous is my favorite Star Wars character and I'm absolutely fascinated by him and I have lots of fun whenever I write about him. Because of that I try to keep him in character as best as I can. But I slip up at times with some elements... So please, keep me on my toes if you see some OOC-ness or whatever else that makes the scene crappy. Anyway, here's the new chapter, please give feedback and enjoy! :D**

**Note: I did mention one of Grievous' children and this is by no means a canon description. Since we never found out their names I decided to expand a bit on his family.**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 2 Sweet Dreams

It was well into the evening now. Even the sleepless droid army had quieted down for the night. The General's flagship, _The Invisible Hand_, was parked onto an airstrip a few miles outside of the ruined city. Surrounding the Trade Federation cruiser, there were numerous mechanical soldiers patrolling the area around the ship. Their patrol seemed to be barely noticeable as their metallic feet treaded across the pavement. AAT tanks provided more deadly firepower than the droids and bore considerable intimidation factor for any possible spies or intruders. The potent war machines were stationed at the rim of the CIS encampment.

Within the General's Quarters, Grievous sat in his chair with his eyes shut. He valued the night so much more than the day just because most of the time, it brought the promises of undisturbed rest. The droids were mainly tasked with guard duty at this time and they always left him alone. As much as he liked being an avatar of death and destruction in the eyes of the Republic, Grievous did enjoy his daily dose of peace and silence.

As he sat in his seat, his mind raced. It was normal for him since reminiscing about the past was the closest thing to sleeping and dreaming for the General since he couldn't do those functions anymore. And just like dreams, some of the memories he experienced were happy and pleasant. But also like nightmares, some were horrific and borderline painful. A lot of them were also so vivid and realistic Grievous thought he was actually reliving the moment.

His reflections of the past were the closest things he had to restorative meditation. At times the good memories he recalled on made him feel refreshed and his zeal for his vendetta against the Republic was rejuvenated with a new bloodlust. Sometimes if the memories were especially unpleasant, he was in a particularly worse mood than usual. And oftentimes, the droids he commanded could just tell if this was the case by the intensity of his glares or how loudly he growled.

Yet on this evening, his meditations were being rudely invaded by the visage of a complete stranger. Since he had abandoned her to the ruins of her home to live alongside her parents' corpses, all Grievous could think about was the little girl. In all honesty, he had never seen a living civilian child confronting him so boldly yet frightfully. When he would traverse through cities he demolished, all the young ones he saw were dead. The situation that occurred just two hours earlier was completely unexpected and the cyborg honestly didn't expect to see something like this anytime soon.

Grievous' eyes opened, realizing he wasn't going to have a restful evening. Instead of thinking about past triumphs, joys, heartbreaks and failures, he was going to be thinking about the newly christened urchin. His clawed hands were folded together and he lazily eyed the capital city that lay in ruins now. Amongst that sea of rubble and death, she was languishing in hopelessness and fear. He shook his head, chiding himself for allowing the little incident to gnaw on his conscious.

"It is war," he thought. "She is the citizen of an enemy planet that belongs to me now. If she is anything now, she is merely a slave. Why should I care about her? And why does my mind keep wandering back to her?"

Her face was still as fresh as ever within his mind's eye. Auburn hair, ocean blue eyes, pale skin… True, she was a precious and naive little girl. And he was responsible for the hell she now lived in. Now he remembered he never did find out her name.

"She will be dead by sunrise. When I initiate another sweep of the city tomorrow, I will find her in a sleep from which she will never awake."

Then for some reason, Grievous ceased to think about the Human girl. Immediately something much more pleasant came to his mind. He unfolded his hands and leaned back into his seat. His eyes shut when he saw he was going to maybe have some rest after all.

Instead, she was replaced by the memories he had of his twenty ninth child and youngest daughter, Kalla Sheelal. The last time he saw her which was nearly three years ago, she was only two. And that was when he was submerged in the bacta tank, constantly lapping into consciousness and unconsciousness. Kalla's face was pressed up against the glass with her tiny hands resting on the fragile barrier separating her from her battered father. Just like the rest of the other family members present in his dire time, her eyes were overtly moistened and mournful.

"Little Kalla…"

If he had the other half of his skull, Grievous would've been smiling beneath his mask. Kalla had light brown hair and the usual golden eyes a Kaleesh possessed. Her disposition was optimistic, affectionate, curious and at times too persistent. And like the other twenty nine children, he had loved her dearly.

Many times, he did wish to stop at Kalee for a day or two just to check in on his large family. But at simultaneously, Grievous saw it was impossible to have a happy reunion because he was much too occupied with his role as the supreme general of the droid armies. Only after the war ended would he feel he'd able to see them again. And that was a painful revelation he had discovered when he was first given his prestigious title by Dooku.

Right now, Kalla was about five years old. Her father could only imagine what she looked like now and what milestones he had missed. He wondered if she would even remember what he looked liked or know who he was when he'd finally come home. For now, Grievous could only hope that all was well back on Kalee. He wasn't going to rush the war just to go home: his vengeance needed to be fulfilled. And he vowed to himself he would not return until he had eliminated every single Jedi and disestablished the corroded and corrupt foundations of the Old Republic. It was a personal quest to protect home, honorable memories, end an unscrupulous regime and put some of the restlessness in his soul to rest. Yet Grievous saw that on that particular day at the edge of the Jenuwaa Sea years ago, his sadness would never completely dissipate.

Besides, Dooku and Sidious would sense weakness in him if he had returned home for even a miniscule day. He had been chewed out before by their disapprovals but he wanted to keep his loved ones out of it. Not only that, Grievous believed he might even lash out at them for demeaning the value of his family in favor of the war. Even though he didn't fear Dooku, he was wary of the head Sith's power and he didn't want to be on the end of that crimson sword.

"Not now. Later, but not now. Be strong, Kalla. I will see you all again soon enough."

His eyes reopened and he was met by the city. Again, he was reminded of the blue eyed child. He wasn't so much annoyed amazingly and he saw he wasn't going to have a serene night.

"General Grievous."

Grievous was completely oblivious to the presence of the battle droid. He also found it strange he couldn't find any anger within him when the droning voice reached his audio receptors. Instead, he rose up from his seat and faced the droid. The half droid took a few steps closer.

"Yes?" he said, genuinely intrigued by the meaning of this visit.

"Apologies for the intrusion but you…" The B1 paused. "Your attention is required immediately, sir."

"Well, how dire is this situation?"

"It's not too serious but it is strange at best."

Grievous was puzzled. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his mind of the fog it was shrouded in when he was thinking seconds earlier.

"Alright, what is it?"

The droid cocked its head to the side.

"Bring in the prisoner," it ordered three other droids who were standing outside the chamber. "We had caught someone sneaking around our borders, General."

A prisoner? The cyborg would've wrinkled his nose if he could. Immediately, he suspected it was a clone who had evaded his detection and had foolishly stumbled upon the CIS encampment. He straightened himself up to his full height and placed his hands behind his back.

But then his eyes widened in shock as he saw the prisoner being escorted in by the droids. He simply couldn't believe it.

The prisoner's smile was weak but it seemed a little content. She was wringing her hands.

"Hi, Mr. Grievous!" the little girl said innocently. "Do you remember me?"


	3. Chapter 3 War within the Warlord

**Hey all! Thank you for the reviews, I do appreciate them! I kept on second guessing with how Grievous might exactly react with the scenarios in this chapter but overall I think I did a good job of characterizing in the end... I expanded a little bit more on his past and I hope all those years of fandom and research pulled off xD Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter! As usual, please review/give feedback so I know how I'm doing :)**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 3 War Within the Warlord 

"We caught this child and we wanted to confront you about this issue because our orders were to only eliminate any surviving adults," one of the four droids explained. "We're not sure how to deal with this one."

"Let…" Grievous cleared his throat. "Let me deal with this personally. Leave and continue with your security duties."

Obediently, the droids turned around and marched out of the General's Quarters, leaving the two souls alone. Oftentimes, when he said to leave it to himself and there was another person in the room, the unfortunate being was murdered. So the droids had a good feeling of what was going to happen to the poor child.

Grievous listened carefully to make sure the droids really were gone as he heard the metal feet echo. A few moments went by and soon enough, he couldn't hear them anymore. Then he looked directly into the orphan's eyes.

She gasped and took a step back, not expecting such an intense but not malevolent gaze. However she quickly recovered and retaliated with another stare. His golden eyes entranced and fascinated her. In her short life of five years, she had never seen a more haunting yet beautiful pair of eyes.

Without warning, he picked her up and held her out in front of himself. For a fleeting second, she thought he was going to kill her but quickly saw this wasn't the case. Grievous' grip was firm yet nonlethal. He walked over to his chair where he sat earlier and promptly deposited her in it.

"Oh, this is comfy!" she said. "I like this chair! Thanks for letting me sit here!"

The cyborg didn't reply. He stood only a few feet away from her.

"Child, what is your name?" he asked.

"My name is Celia Halcyn," she answered bubbly.

"Did you follow me? And tell me the truth…"

Her smile dimmed slightly because she knew she had gone against his orders to stay behind at her home. Her blue eyes averted from his form but then quickly glued back to him a few seconds later.

"Yes," Celia confessed, "but I followed you because I didn't know what else to do. My parents are dead and I thought if I went with you, I'd be safer!"

"That's where you are gravely mistaken, girl," he sneered. "You will not last a week by my side. In fact, I'm ready to tie you to the remains of your home so that you stay there without pestering me!"

"Please let me stay with you! I'm a good girl!"

"Why do you insist on having me as your guardian? I just conquered your planet and my soldiers killed your parents. If anything, you should be terrified of me! Besides, I am a general. I'm not a baby sitter."

"But…"

"No more." Grievous placed his hand over her mouth. "Silence. I will not fight with a little girl about this foolishness."

"I'm five!" She talked through his hand.

"Do not correct me. Now enough." He drew his hand back. "I'm going to call the droids in and you will let them take you back to your home."

Celia was immensely saddened by his persistent unwillingness. She began to breathe heavily and cry. Her face turned red.

"But… Who will take care of me?"

"I don't know."

"I'm gonna die! Please, don't let me die!" She sprang out of her seat and grasped one of his hands. "Please, help me!"

Grievous wrenched his hand free of her hold. He had never personally killed a child her age and he felt he was going to do it any second. Despite his ferocity, he had a certain code of honor towards his enemies or the spawn of his foes. He thought it was lowly to kill anyone younger than a teenager since they were so innocent and impressionable. Instead of killing them, they should be converted and made useful for his agenda. Yet he had never instituted this principle amongst his soldiers or mentioned this to his lords.

"No, no, no!" he said as his anger began to peak. "Clearly you do not understand the meaning of 'no'!"

Fearfully, Celia jumped back into her seat. Visibly, she began to shake and this was the most terrified he had seen her so far. She cradled herself as she sat in the seat, refusing to look away from Grievous. Her large blue eyes looked like flawless sapphires as the tears lit them up.

Memories came flooding back to him once more. It couldn't be at a more convenient time. Except this time, he wasn't reminded of Kalla. Now, Grievous was reminded of the orphaned Kaleesh children whose families had been murdered by the oppression of the Huk.

He recalled how their faces were etched with cuts and their skin had turned calloused and irritable from the ashes they hid in. They looked like walking skeletons as starvation and plague ravaged them. In essence, they were living ghosts that somehow managed to survive the horrors of the invading insectile race. Yet not many of the broken orphans had recovered: many had died of grief, starvation and their wounds. Quite a few times, when Grievous and his old Kaleesh comrades rushed to an assaulted village to aid survivors, children had died in his arms.

The Kaleesh warlord saw the tiny graves he dug as he looked into Celia's eyes. Even though she was Human, she had the same look of fear and hopelessness as the alien younglings. And it began to grow increasingly disturbing and painful as long as he gazed on her.

Forcing himself to break the stare, Grievous turned his back on her. Celia sat silently and anxiously, waiting for almost anything to happen.

"Celia," he said, "since you are only five, I will try to explain this as simply as I can to you."

"What?" Some of her fear melted away and was replaced by a sensation of mystery.

"I cannot take care of you. I can't make it any clearer or obvious. My job is to conquer the galaxy. I…" He turned around. "I have to do it and I want to do it as well." Grievous was not accustomed to making himself so blatantly meticulous. He was forcing himself to be patient because she was not a bumbling droid. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mr. Grievous," Celia nodded.

"Before I go on, let me ask you something: why are you insistent on having me as your caretaker?"

Truthfully, even the girl didn't know why. When she heard his metal feet clank against the street in the moonlit darkness, she somehow knew to take a chance. All Celia knew was that she needed help and needed it now. Even though it was in the form of a large mechanical man, it didn't matter. She was blind to his appearance. Celia did hear about his infamy only briefly in everyday life in her home, but it never really did register in her fragile mind.

"I don't know," she said softly. "I'm telling the truth! You believe me, don't you?"

He shook his masked head, not even going to try to think about her rationale. She was a child and children were illogical. And they were innocent, helpless and always wanting to extend a hand in friendship and happiness…

"Regardless," the General resumed, "I do not have the time or the resources to look after you. Besides, my lords would not like it if they found out I was taking care of you…"

He could not focus as long as he was looking at Celia. All he could think about was the countless young dead cut down so mercilessly and soullessly during the Huk War. His emotions began to run a little loose and soon enough, Grievous was starting to become flustered.

"Dammit!" he vented, slamming his fist into the table that stood behind him.

"Did I say something wrong?" Celia asked. "Can I make it better for you?"

No. He refused to let a child get to him. If anyone got a hold of this, both his allies and foes would see him in a dim and demeaning light. For the sake of victory, he couldn't let his vicious portrait be tarnished by an orphan. Many years of training, hardship and the spilling of blood, sweat and tears had gone into molding him into the feared entity that he now was.

At the same time, Grievous kept an extremely confidential tab on his past. A few times, he almost became an orphan too when he was young boy. There were times when his stomach was empty for days. He once saw one of his old childhood friends being ripped to shreds by the Huk warriors. As a necessity of the awful war, his father had taught him to kill to survive and defend his family. And the cyborg's own father became one of the many dead in time.

Celia studied Grievous. Her eyes were unblinking and she felt the urge to go up to him and see what was wrong. But she was afraid of being yelled at or even struck now. The friendly child refused to remain inactive in any form.

"Mr. General Grievous Sir?" she asked timidly. "Are you okay?"

He was so absorbed by the conflict within him, the General didn't even hear her. The half droid could only think about the potential scenarios and their consequences. To his reluctance and disgust, he found his heart softening slightly over this matter. For the first time since his reconstruction, he was confronted with a tough decision where he truly didn't know what to do.

"Mr. Grievous?" Celia repeated. "Can you hear me? I want to know if you're okay!"

Her voice sliced through his thoughts like a lightsaber tearing away flesh. Reptilian eyes looked at her with a softness no one had seen in a long time. Grievous felt wretched and loathly. He refused to acknowledge the tiny flame of mercy that licked at his icy heart.

"Celia Halcyn," he said, "do you know what you're getting yourself into? I'm giving you one last chance. If you know what's good for your own life, you will go home. I am only being extraordinarily patient because you are only a little girl."

"Is this a trick question?" she cocked her head to the side.

"No. I am being completely serious. Well, do you?"

"I would go back to my home because you keep on telling me too, but I don't have one anymore… And I know you're going to be very mad at me."

Grievous sighed and placed a hand on his forehead. His eyes shut. Seconds later, he reopened them and drew his hand back.

"I have decided to let you stay with me," he announced. "But…"

The sorrow and uncertainty Celia bore melted away miraculously. Her whole being lit up and her frown morphed into a huge and sunny smile. She leapt out of the chair and threw her arms around one of his metal legs, hugging him.

Grievous nearly fell over in shock. He stood awkwardly: this didn't happen to him at all in his new existence.

"Thank you so much!" she said gleefully. "I'm so happy! Can we be friends?"

"Celia, listen to me," her caretaker said.

The Human child tilted her head up to face Grievous but didn't break the embrace. She looked quite puny and only stood a little under halfway up to his thigh.

"I will only take care of you until I find someone who will permanently adopt you," said Grievous. "And I will immediately start the search. But for now, because you'll be my charge, you must obey me."

"Okay!" Celia nodded her head.

"Alright, then let me go."

She took a few steps back, releasing him in the process. Already, Celia seemed to be a new person. Her lovely and angelic smile prevailed. Then she giggled playfully.

"Can I have a piggy-back ride?" she pleaded.

"Absolutely not," the cyborg folded his arms across his chest.

"Okay!"

"You must remember to listen to me and be on your best behavior, Celia. Can you do that?"

"Yeah! Like I said, I'm a good girl!"

"I'll hold you to your promise then." Grievous turned around and began to walk away. He then paused and looked behind to her. "Now follow me. I'll take you to your new room."

"But, Mr. Grievous, I'm not tired!"

"Just call me 'General Grievous'. The 'Mr.' bit sounds ridiculous."

"Can I just call you 'Grievous'?"

"Whatever…" He rolled his eyes. "Now do you want me to show you your room or not? Or would you like to sleep inside the engine room? Better yet, why not the hangar bay beneath a starfighter?"

"I want a bed!"

"Then I suggest you follow me… Now."


	4. Chapter 4 The Littlest Stowaway

**Yahoo! Thank you for the reviews everyone! :D I'm happy to see you all like the fic so far! I had some fun with this chapter and I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! I got a good head start on the next chapter already and maybe I'll have this updated before next Sunday but we'll see... Anyway, please R&R and have fun with the chapter!**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 4 The Littlest Stowaway

"This is so cool! I've never been on a spaceship before! How fast can this go? Can it blow up a planet? Do all the droids have rooms? Are there any potties here? Grievous, I love your cape! Can I wear it? How many lightsabers do you have..?"

She wouldn't stop talking. With every question she asked, his patience began to wither. Before he could hope to answer her ceaseless interrogations, Celia quickly moved onto a different subject. They were standing in the elevator, waiting to be dropped down to the quartering levels for the organic crew. Not even five minutes went by and Grievous began to regret allowing the little girl to remain on the ship.

"Do you have any dollies I can play with? Can I go see a starfighter? Will you let me drive one?"

His intense gaze instantly caught her attention. Celia immediately silenced herself and looked away. Already, she had some idea of how the General worked and how she had to behave in his presence.

"Silence," he ordered. "Am I going to revoke housing you already?"

"What does 'revoke' mean?" she asked.

"No more questions. Because of your persistent intrusions, I have barely had anytime to myself. I plan on showing you to your room and there you will remain until I check up on you in the morning."

"Oh, okay…"

At last, the elevator reached the floor they wanted. The doors parted and Grievous stepped out. He was immediately met by battle droids who were waiting to get on the same elevator.

"General!" one of them exclaimed in surprise.

"Is that a Human?" another said as it noticed Celia standing behind the cyborg.

"Get out of the way," he hissed malevolently.

He brusquely pushed past one of the droids, making the mechanical soldier's footing falter. Celia had to jog to keep up with Grievous' stride. Neither of them bothered to turn around and see the droids who only watched them move on. Their eyeless stares made the little girl feel uneasy even though she didn't look back to face them.

"Grievous?" Celia said timidly.

She had asked a question but surprisingly he didn't find himself so irked by it. Currently, the droids had become the objects of his annoyance.

"What?" he replied. The General noticed she was jogging alongside him and slowed his pace.

"Are those droids going to hurt me?"

"As long as you behave, they will not harm you. Remember, I control them all."

"So you're like the king?"

Grievous loathed that exact terminology when it came down to his position with his soldiers. He would much prefer to be the king of a race of organic, worthy and honorable warriors than the drones he commanded. But if he had to choose any worthy label, it would undoubtedly be general.

"There is a difference between a general and a king," he explained. "And I much prefer that you would see me as a general. But I do command them and if you do not behave, I will allow them to throw you into one of the detention blocks we have on this ship for prisoners. And I will keep you in there until I can get some family to take you."

"That doesn't sound fun…" Celia muttered. "Who are the prisoners?"

"Since you seem to be so oblivious to my infamy I will let you know that I don't like to keep prisoners. They are often times much better dead. Sometimes, there'll be the occasional political prisoner."

"Am I a prisoner?"

"You may be. It all depends on how good you are."

"I said I'm a good girl!"

"Then I strongly believe you won't cause me any problems."

"My Mommy always said I was a stinker. But she said I was good too."

For the briefest moment, he forgot that she had lost her parents not even a day ago. They were snatched from her existence so swiftly but she seemed to be adapting to her second chance at life quite fluidly. And it was obvious that Celia was coming attached to him already. Grievous just couldn't understand her rationale.

A minute or two went by until they at last arrived in the quartering levels. This zone was crawling with Neimoidian crew and secretly Grievous had to admit that adding diversity to this ship was much needed. He also wasn't very fond of this alien race either and having a Human thrown into the mix wasn't so bad.

"Am I going to have my very own room?" Celia asked.

"If there is no room, I will make it for you," the half droid said.

One of the room's door opened up and a Neimoidian strode out rather casually and calmly. He was humming an unknown tune and he seemed to be completely blind to Grievous' presence. His ignorance prevailed until he had turned his head to the direction where the General and the little girl stood. Gasping in shock, he bowed yet maintained his suave air.

"General Grievous," he acknowledged, "what a surprise, sir." He did see Celia but he didn't want to say anything until Grievous did. "May I ask what brings you down here?"

"Captain Dofine," Grievous nodded his head. Lushros Dofine was the sole Neimoidian he had tolerated and even respected to some degree. He even made him captain of his ship which Dofine saw as one of the greatest honors and burdens in the whole CIS. "I am curious if there any available rooms." He motioned to Celia. "We have a new friend that will be residing here on this ship for an unknown length of time."

"Hi!" Celia waved to Dofine. "My name's Celia!"

"Is this an orphan from the city we attacked today?" he asked Grievous.

"Yes," the warlord confirmed. "Is there a problem with that, Captain?"

"No, not at all, General! I'm not sure if there is an available room to be honest…"

Grievous looked to his immediate right, seeing a cabin door. Pounding his fist on the door, he roused the occupant up from his restful slumber.

The engineer within the room was startled and quiet angry that his sleep had been disturbed. Thinking it was one of his fellow crew mates pulling a prank on him, he turned over and attempted to go back to sleep.

"Ha, ha, very funny, guys!" he yelled. "I'm trying to sleep!"

"I am giving you five seconds to get your grubby ass out here now!" Grievous threatened. "One..!"

The engineer almost had a heart attack when he heard it was his commander on the other side of the door. Before he could make it to three, the Neimoidian was at the door. Slamming his palm against the locking console next to the door, he deactivated the mechanism and the door swept open.

"I am so sorry…" he stuttered. "I thought you…" Gulping nervously, he tried to explain himself but couldn't find the courage. "I thought you were someone else, sir..!"

"You will sleep in the detention block until further notice," Grievous took a few steps closer, purposefully invading the engineer's personal space. "Get out of the way now."

Without a second to spare, the frightened crewman bolted out of his doorway and ran for the elevator down at the opposite end of the hall. He was too scared to turn back to see if the General might be pursuing him. All that mattered was living to see another day.

Celia walked into her newly vacated room, eager to occupy it. The Kaleesh man turned to Dofine who watched everything with a hint of confusion. He straightened up when the reptilian eyes glued to him.

"You stay out here," he commanded. "I need to speak with you as soon as I am finished with the child."

"Yes, General," said Lushros.

The tall and daunting half-man half-machine walked into the room, seeing Celia sitting on her bed. Despite the fact the cabin was small, it was comfortable enough. There was a door on the other side of the room that served as the entrance to the lavatory. A series of cabinets hung above the modest bed which was bare of blankets (for a moment Grievous was curious as to why the Neimiodian he ousted didn't have covers). Other than the cabinets, bathroom and bed, there was nothing else.

"Thank you, Grievous!" Celia smiled. "But will the man be okay?"

"He won't mind because I made him get out," he said sourly. "Now he'll think twice before he answers the door."

The cabinets were seven feet off the ground and one might have some trouble reaching them but it was no problem for the cyborg at all. He rummaged through them, looking for a blanket for his charge. The girl silently watched everything he did, fascinated by him.

"There're no blankets for you," he reported, closing the cabinet doors. "The fool in this room was probably washing them and decided to sleep without them until they were finished. You'll have to sleep without one for the evening."

"That's okay!" said Celia.

Conveniently, a chill reverberated through her tiny body, making her shiver before his eyes. Grievous groaned internally as he was somewhat torn up by seeing this discomfort since she was only five years old. But it was mostly because he was annoyed by the luck he had so far this evening.

Then he had an idea. Grievous took off his clean cloak. Gently, he wrapped it around her. Celia giggled happily and wallowed in her new found cocoon of warmth and security.

"I want it back first thing tomorrow morning," he said, extending his pointer finger at her. "If I find a single smudge or rip on it, we will have some problems."

"It's so comfy cozy!" She curled up on the bed and lay her head down on the pillow. "Thank you!" As soon as she lay down she began to yawn. "Now I'm sleepy…"

"Go to sleep. Do not wander from this room until I come by to see you. Do you understand me?"

"Mm-hmm…" At last her pretty eyes shut. "Goodnight."

Without another word said between them, he walked out of the room. The door closed behind him. Lushros Dofine was still standing in the hallway, daring not to possibly move an inch.

"Captain Dofine, I am entrusting her into your care for a good part of the morning," said Grievous. "I will be meeting the king and queen of this planet tomorrow to discuss our occupation. It will only take a few hours and I'm sure everything will go along smoothly. From what we've seen, the Humans who live here have no fight in them."

"Of course, sir," he bowed, "it will be no problem at all." He swallowed nervously. "General, may I ask a question?"

"I know what it concerns. The child is an orphan I ran into a few hours earlier when I patrolled the ruins of Tyrin City. And she actually had both the guts and the stupidity to follow me back here, begging me to house her. The only reason why I decided to show her mercy is the fact that she is so young."

"You can't be keeping her, are you?"

Grievous scoffed.

"No!" he said. "I plan on finding a family who will take her in. I guarantee she will not overstay her welcome though. I do not have the time or patience to care for her."

"I see."

"I will be returning to my quarters now. Do not let anyone enter them until sunrise. I want to be alone for good. Also, post a droid at her door and have them watch over her. Make sure she does not leave that room until I come back."

"Yes, sir. How hard can it be to take care of a little girl?"

The cyborg remembered he asked himself the same question when he first became a father years earlier. And boy did he get a rude awakening on that matter.

"Captain, you'd be surprised by what children are capable of. Sometimes, you can never be too careful with them."


	5. Chapter 5 Angels of Liberty and Revenge

**HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! I decided to update today rather than Sunday because I'll be spending plenty of time with my family and I don't have a clue what my schedule will be like for the next few days and whether I'll be able to write new chapters and update my fics. Not only that, I did this whole chapter in one day and got it all done much sooner than I expected. This chapter's a little long but I promise it's not dull! I also put in some tiny AOTC and Clone Wars references in here just because I could. :) As always, thank you for all the previous reviews enjoy the newest update and please R&R! Again, have an awesome Thanksgiving! **

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 5 Angels of Liberty and Revenge

(Republic occupied space – Kamino)

The freshly trooper-gorged Republic battle cruiser hung high in orbit over the eternally stormy water world of Kamino. The ship, _Archangel_, had completed its original task of picking up a few battalions of clones who had just graduated from their combat training curriculum. Now it was hovering above the planet, awaiting further assignment from authorities on Coruscant.

The commander of the ship, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, looked out the control bridge's main windshield and observed the planet. He was deep in thought and he recalled the memories that had transpired there not too long ago. There was that scuffle he had with Jango Fett before the war started. And there was also that little invasion Grievous and Asajj Ventress had orchestrated there while the conflict was still young. Just to sum it up: none of the reflections were very pleasant.

"General Kenobi."

Commander Cody approached his friend and stood by his side. The Jedi looked away from Kamino and faced the veteran clone.

"Yes, Cody?" he said calmly.

"I think you better see this, sir," the clone said distantly. "We just received a transmission from a force of our men on the world of Borealia. A battle transpired there half a day ago… Just come see it for yourself."

"Alright then."

Cody glanced to one of the clone communications officers working at a console.

"Can you play the transmission, please?" he asked.

The officer nodded his head and pressed a few buttons on the console. Cody and Obi-Wan walked down the control bridge's pathway and to the hologram transmitter situated towards the back area. They waited a few seconds for the Borealian transmission to play.

The two warriors were met by an extremely grainy holoform of a clone trooper. He began to talk but his words came out as a garbled mess. There was also plenty of static interference and at first it seemed impossible to even decipher what was going on.

"It clears up a bit more," Cody explained. "Give it a second."

Obi-Wan's interest in this unusual transmission was piqued from the beginning since Cody brought it up to him. His chin rested on his beard.

"_Hello, hello!_" the clone in the message practically yelled. "_This is Lieutenant Joel! I am on the planet of Borealia and we need help now..!_" Interference plagued it. "_We're..! We're being swamped by General Grievous' forces! It was a surprise attack and we were caught completely off guard!_" The sound of blaster fire and explosions were also mixed in with the dialogue. "_Everyone's dropping like flies! Our general, Master Giza Tengu has just been killed a few minutes ago! She's dead and we could use some help immediately! Our reinforcements are dwindling rapidly and we cannot escape off world! I repeat, we cannot get out! AAAHHHHH!_"

In the final moments of the transmission, a small group of battle droids had shot and killed Joel. Kenobi shook his head in disappointment and slight sorrow. Of course he was used to the war and the brutality it sown by now but it still pained him to feel his compatriots' suffering. He felt especial condolences when they were being pitted against Grievous' fury and might.

"Cody, how did we receive this?" he pondered out loud.

"The message was sent out on a random frequency," Cody replied. "We think Lieutenant Joel did this as a last resort in order to call help from anyone who was scanning the frequency."

"Can you pull up some stats on Borealia, please?"

"Absolutely."

The commander accessed the data bank system that was built within the hologram transmitter's circuitry. Momentarily, the Jedi let his mind wander.

"Another Jedi passed into the Force…" he thought. "Another victim of Grievous' gluttonous vengeance. This has got to end somewhere, sometime… May the Force be with you, Master Tengu. I've never known or seen you before most likely but I hope you are at peace now."

"General."

He brought him back to reality once more. Obi-Wan looked at the holographic screen displayed. There was a picture of the planet. On the side in Aurebesh was the data in an enclosed rectangle.

"Let's see here…" Obi-Wan began to read the information out loud. "It looks like Borealia's located in some of the remotest regions of the Outer Rim. It has a constitutional monarchy that is ruled over by King Caratacus and Queen Bela of the Zahree Dynasty. The native species are Humans and the total population is about two billion. It's a temperate planet with mountains, forests, grasslands and two inland seas as its main features…" He pointed at the next bit of data. "Aha! The major export is natural resources, particularly ores and metals. I bet Grievous attacked this place so he can harness those resources to manufacture more battle droids… It only makes enough sense as to why he would attack such a distant planet. At least, that's the feeling I'm getting. Cody, do we have any more information like how many droids were present? Or is the message all the information we have?"

"According to what I can see on the second page of the data, we had about two thousand troops stationed in Borealia's capital, Tyrin City. Master Tengu was the sole commander of those men. I think Grievous must've had a sizable force in order to take it over. But yes, besides the message and the data here, we have no other insight."

"And obviously there is no word on the condition of the king and queen…"

"Well, if we're dealing with Grievous, they're most likely dead." Cody paused for a few seconds. "I suppose we're going to liberate Borealia, sir?"

"I feel that we must. We picked up on the transmission and we must answer it in some way. And we will do that by freeing the planet. Besides, we have no other directions to do anything else and we're just sitting here pretty much. But the thing is, although we just picked up a few new battalions, I don't think we have enough to liberate Borealia. Blast it!"

"Sir, I have a suggestion."

"I'm more than willing to hear it my friend."

"Why don't we send a spy to Borealia so they can survey the condition for us? That way, we'll know exactly what to bring to the party. Also, if Grievous is there, we ought to make this effort as effective as possible."

Obi-Wan smiled. He knew there was a reason why he liked having this clone by his side.

"I like that," he admitted. "I will contact the Jedi Council and see what they think of our plans. Personally, I think our spy will need to be a Jedi who is proficient in stealth and sabotage. After we send them out to the planet, they can tell us what we need to do and we can act from there. And just maybe, if we plan this well enough, we can bring Grievous' reign of terror to an end at last."

(Borealia- sunrise)

King Caratacus Zahree looked at the chaos that was once his beautiful capital city. He could feel tears in his eyes as he recalled the helplessness he felt when the Separatist forces mercilessly overran everything. His subjects were dying all around him outside the walls of his palace and there was nothing he could do about it. He was well aware that the clones and the Jedi had fought bravely and valiantly but in the end, it was all for naught. The king even sent some of his guardsmen out to participate in the battle but they suffered the same fate as the countless citizens and organic soldiers. In his home, there were only a handful of guards and servants left. And the only soul he could find temporary solace with was his wife and queen.

Caratacus could hear Bela approaching when there was the telltale sound of her train lightly dragging across the ground. A moment later, he felt her gentle hand on his shoulder. He could only sigh mournfully.

"Caratacus," she said in a wavering tone, "you do see that we have to be strong?"

"Damn Separatists…" he mumbled angrily. "I knew it was only a matter of time before they'd look our way. I should've been more prepared!"

"It's not your fault. That's why it's called a surprise attack, love. All we can do now is cooperate and hope everything will turn out alright in the long run."

"That monster took our planet, Bela! I cannot remain calm!"

"What can we do? Nothing at the moment. They jammed our transmissions that we would've made to the Senate for help and now we only have dignity and grace! Use them before Grievous decides it's appropriate to kill us!"

"I… I just don't know what to do now."

Inadvertently, Bela and Caratacus looked out the window and into their courtyard. They nearly recoiled in terror when they saw the infamous general walking up to their front door. Four MagnaGuards escorted him, bearing their formidable electrostaffs.

"It would only be wise and sensible to meet him and discuss the terms of our surrender," Bela sighed.

"Yes," her husband acknowledged. "I guess you're right."

Holding hands, the two monarchs briskly walked out of their bedroom and into the hall. They carefully trekked down the grand staircase and stopped once they reached the bottom of the stairwell. About eight guardsmen stood in the reception area and glanced over at their leaders.

"My lord and lady, General Grievous is approaching," the captain spoke. "What are our orders?"

"Let him in peacefully when he knocks," Caratacus commanded. "If we fight back, we die."

The ten people kept a safe distance from the door and held their breaths. The king and queen still held hands. The guards readied their blasters just in case.

"I have come to talk over the terms of your surrender!" Grievous said loudly and clearly. He pounded his fist on the door. "I command you to open up this door right now!"

"The door is open and you may walk in on your own accord, General," said Bela. "We are present and willing to comply."

Then the door opened. The cyborg proudly strode in with his bodyguards still in tow. He ignored the guards and immediately approached the rulers. He straightened himself up to his full height, making sure he was towering over everyone else in the palace.

"Oh, are you now?" he asked in a bored fashion. "And what compels you to cooperate?"

"Because you are the victor," Caratacus retorted in a clearly strained manner. "We Borealians accept victory or defeat honorably."

"That's good to hear because I personally cannot stand political negotiations and whatnot. I have a certain method to make this process very quick and relatively painless. And if you behave yourselves, you will keep your lives."

"Let us hear what you have to say then," said Bela.

"Firstly, you must unconditionally surrender to the whim of the Confederacy. I can't put that any more simply."

"We accept."

"Secondly, you must be willing to hand over any resources you have that may prove beneficial to the Separatist cause when you are told to."

"We accept."

"Thirdly, you must allow my forces to occupy your planet so that we may convert it to our use."

"Alright, agreed," Caratacus said.

"And last but certainly not least… You must acknowledge me as your supreme conqueror and master. You are to obey my every command."

Grievous stared right into Caratacus' light brown eyes. He heard the tension in his voice earlier and he wanted to see how he would react this fourth demand. There was fury in there no doubt. But there was also…

In a heartbeat, Caratacus pushed Bela away from himself. Grievous blinked and momentarily looked at the rough-housed queen. While the droid general was distracted, the king pulled out a blaster pistol from within his robe and pointed it directly at Grievous' heart.

Seeing a chance to kill one soul to save billions of others, the guards pointed their blasters on the General. The MagnaGuards' staffs sparked with deadly electrical potency. They inched closer to their master, ready to defend him with fierce automated determination.

"No, you surrender!" Caratacus roared. "Get down onto your knees so I can blast your bloody brains out!

"You should've shot me when you had the chance, you pathetic waste of a man…" Grievous hissed with hellish malice.

He grabbed Caratacus' hand that held his gun. The cyborg applied pressure to his wrist, effortlessly snapping it. The king wailed in agonizing pain and he released the pistol from his grip.

"Kill the guards," he ordered the droids.

The MagnaGuards descended on the royal guardsmen with terrifying fury. Within a few moments, they had been impaled or electrocuted to death by the high current the staffs wielded. Bela could only watch in horror and confusion as she lay on her side.

"It appears we won't be negotiating," Grievous said monotonously. He lifted Caratacus up off the ground, dangling him a good meter. "It looks like we need a governor to replace you, Highness."

"Please, I beg you, spare my husband!" Bela cried. "He's just acting rashly, General! I will convince him further to cooperate! Don't kill him!"

"I will not live under his rule!" the king debated. "I will not be a puppet of an evil alliance! I am forever with the Republic and I will never defect to the likes of you, traitorous vermin!"

"Caratacus, please! Don't do this!"

"I would rather die…"

"Be careful with how you word things, Republic dog," said the half droid.

With his other monstrous clawed hand, Grievous began to choke Caratacus. He gagged and retched for air.

"No!" the queen screamed.

She stood up onto her feet and lunged for Grievous, determined to save her husband. His metal arms then split and he grabbed two lightsabers around his waist. A green one plunged through Bela's chest, killing her instantly. The blue one was thrust into Caratacus' stomach and he expired seconds later.

Ten seconds later, the fiasco was all over. The king and queen were dead. There was no need for negotiations now.

Grievous sheathed his blades. He studied the corpses of the couple, feeling no remorse at all. If Dooku had trouble with their deaths, he could easily justify himself by saying they had attacked him first. For once, he actually defended.

"We're finished here," he said to the droid escorts. "Let's head back to our encampment."


	6. Chapter 6 Deadly Wanderings

**Hola all! :) Thank you once more for all your lovely previous reviews! I honestly had no idea this fic that was once supposed to be a tiny oneshot was actually going to become a full-blown fic and I'm glad you all gave me supportive comments to continue on with this story. Yeeeaahhh... Another long-ish chapter but I this one definitely will have its cool moments. And I think you will like this chapter (at least I hope!). R&R please and enjoy the update!**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 6 Deadly Wanderings

Right now, the rays of the sun would've been gently kissing her eyelids. Birds would be chirping and she'd be sniffing breakfast. But now that didn't exist. Now it was all in the past. The little girl had forgotten that she was beginning to wake up in a new world that had been mercifully granted to her.

Celia stirred in her bed, slowly waking up. No dreams came to her in the middle of the night and she had gotten a deep and restorative rest. Her "blanket" had kept her toasty all night long.

At last, her eyes opened. She sat up in her bed and yawned, stretching her little arms out like wings. Her room was the same just as she recalled it to be when she fell asleep. The instant some of her grogginess had dissipated, Celia was as cheerfully and overtly optimistic as usual.

"I'm gonna go find Grievous and give his cape back to him!"

His cloak was longer than she was and Celia had some difficulty in carrying it as she walked over to the door. She dragged it across the floor as she tried to keep it wrapped around her form. She remembered his warning to her to keep it in good shape and she was trying her hardest to keep it as clean as possible. But right now it was an impossible feat.

The cabin door swept open and Celia was confronted with a battle droid standing right in the way. The droid turned around and looked at her.

"Oh, you are up, Celia," it said.

"Where's Grievous at?" she questioned. "I want to give his cape back to him. And I want breakfast too!"

"The General had a meeting with the king and queen. He left about half an hour ago. I was given strict orders from Captain Lushros Dofine to make sure you remain in your room until the General returns."

"Darn it, I forgot! Grievous did tell me to stay in my room… But can I have breakfast please? I'm hungry!"

"There are consumables on this ship and I will immediately check to see if there is anything available for you." The battle droid pointed out one metallic finger at her. "You must remain in this room."

"Okay!"

The droid clanked away and made a left at the end of the corridor. Celia stuck her little head out of the doorway, intrigued by her surroundings. Besides the guard at her door, there wasn't any other presence in the hall. It was also eerily quiet and it seemed even the echo of the droid's feet was drowned out. Of course she wasn't unnerved or put off by it.

Celia refocused her attention on Grievous' cloak. Chuckling, she held it close to her little frame and she shut her eyes. She sighed in a happy air, content that she was alive.

'_Look at you, stinker…_'

A tiny frown appeared on her face when she remembered her mother. Not too long ago, she was alive. All it took was a proton bomb from a vulture droid and a weakened roof to change her life forever. Of course she missed her mother and father. But at the same time, she knew they were in a better place. And Celia was comforted by the fact that they would be together again.

Then she heard a peculiar noise. Celia looked up towards the direction where the battle droid took just moments earlier. To her greatest curiosity and confusion, it was a rolling metal ball racing down the hall at a rapid pace. As she got a better look at it, it was pretty obvious it wasn't any ordinary metal ball. It was quite large and it clicked and clanked loudly as it rolled along.

"I want to play with you!"

The girl leapt out into the hallway. The "ball" screeched to a halt just inches away from her. To Celia's amazement and awe, the ball unfolded into a formidable droideka. Its blaster arms pointed straight at her but the droid didn't deploy its shield.

"Ooh, that's cool! Hi! My name's Celia! Grievous let me stay here on this ship! I've never seen a droid like you before."

The droideka was disinterested in this little organic. Practically every droid on the _Invisible Hand_ had been informed of her presence just to prevent an unfortunate accident. It was aware of her existence and gave no other regard.

As quickly as it sped down the hall, the droideka returned to its ball mode. Then it took off to resume its security duties.

"Wait! I want to race you! You cheated!"

Celia ran after the deadly tripod of a droid, having absolutely no clue of where she was going to. The cloak had slipped off her frame and it lay in the middle of the hall. All that mattered was that she had to beat the droideka and then possibly make friends with it.

(The control bridge)

Lushros Dofine sat bored in his seat aboard the Separatist flagship's control bridge. Idly, he flipped between the different security screens. The Neimoidian spied on droids who soullessly carried out humdrum security runs in the many corridors. Even the organic crewmen who toiled in the engine room worked half-heartedly. All was too calm.

When Grievous was present on the ship, the atmosphere was rife with fear and nervous anticipation. Everyone was on their toes and especially wary for his legendary temper and wrath. Not only that, the battle that had been waged in Tyrin City was nonexistent and no one worked to their fullest potential to contribute their little bit to the war effort.

Leaning back in his chair, Dofine rolled his eyes. How he loathed being in command of things in his superior's absence. Too predictable. Too boring…

"Captain Dofine."

Lushros sat up in his seat as he was shot down from cloud nine. He blinked a few times and spotted a battle droid hovering by his right side.

"Yes?" he asked. "What is it?"

"I was just wondering if there were any appropriate consumables for the child," it said.

"Oh." He had completely forgot about Celia. "Yes, there should be plenty of food…" Then he stopped himself from speaking anymore. His eyes narrowed. "Weren't you posted by at her cabin door?"

"Yes, sir. I just…" The droid realized its error at last. "Oops…"

"You stupid machine! You were supposed to guard her and keep her in her room until the General returned from his negotiations! You left her alone?"

"Yes, sir…" It hung its head in shame.

"I do not believe this! She cannot be left unattended for any period of time! Grievous will slaughter us both if he found out about this…" Dofine rose up out of his seat. "Can you at least gather a small force of droids so that we can find her before he comes back?"

"I can."

"You better. Now be quick with it. I will see if I can find her location with the security systems and track her. I will contact you as soon as I find her and when you do catch up with that little brat, send her straight back to her room and lock that door so she won't escape!"

"Roger, roger. But, Captain, what about her breakfast?"

"It does not matter right now! All that matters is that she must returned in one piece to her room before he arrives back here! Go!"

(The droid repair station)

The B2 super battle droid felt like shooting itself to end its misery. It would've just done that if only its wrist blaster wasn't functioning properly. The other droids in the repair station were clearly just as irked as the B2 but they didn't dare to point a blaster barrel at her. They were all too aware of what would happen to any of them if she was injured. Orders were orders and that's exactly what they were programmed to carry out.

But this was just getting ridiculous. Celia harmlessly harassed the droids with questions about practically everything. They tried their hardest to quietly and patiently endure her presence but even she began to seriously irritate them.

"Enough!" a B1 clutched its head. "Why don't you go bother someone else, meat bag?"

"Hey, that's not very nice!" Celia pouted. "Don't make fun of me! I'm gonna tell on you, Mr. Droid!"

"Yeah, really?"

Celia folded her arms around her chest and she tried to look serious in front of the droids.

"I'm gonna tell Grievous!" she threatened.

"Like he'd actually prefer you over us!" the droid scoffed. "You're just a stupid organic kid. Now please leave before you end up breaking something."

The other droids around voiced their approval of the advice. The little girl still wasn't deterred by this. Rather, she completely ignored them and her blue eyes were glued to something that absolutely captured her relatively short attention span.

Situated towards the back of the room, there was a temporarily off-lined dark bluish and silver MagnaGuard. It was sprawled across a drab and metal maintenance table. Arms hung limply and lifelessly over the side of the table. Its haunting ruby optics were inactive. Beneath the table, there was a deactivated electrostaff that belonged to the war droid.

"What is that thing?" Celia said in wonder.

"Oh, that pile of junk?" the suicidal super battle droid from earlier said. "That's just another worthless and overrated MagnaGuard that are always accompanying the General."

It was no secret that the common battle droids were envious and jealous of the far more advanced war machines. The MagnaGuards were the sole group of battle droid that received fairer treatment from Grievous. They weren't as arbitrarily destroyed as the less deadly droids when the General's nasty temper flared up. Any of the regular foot soldiers would do pretty much anything in order to attain the elite status the bodyguards wielded. Too bad their programming wasn't that worthy to be considered something sufficient to Grievous' strict warrior standards.

Celia approached the inanimate hunk of metal. One B1 droid, an engineer, followed the child with a fusion cutter in hand. She stopped a foot away from the table but the droid sat on a stool next to the table. It opened up the MagnaGuard's head and began to repair it.

"What happened to it?" she asked the engineer.

"It got into a scuffle with a Jedi Master during the fight in the city yesterday," the droid replied without looking back at Celia. "The Jedi pushed this one into a wall and it damaged some of its cranial components but it didn't destroy it. General Grievous ordered to have this one repaired since it wasn't rendered completely useless. Now please, will you move it?"

"But I want to see you work! I'll be so quiet! I won't break anything or be annoying! I pinky swear!"

"Whatever… Just be quiet so I can get the job done."

Celia turned around to see what the other droids in the repair station were up to. She was surprised when she saw practically everyone in the room observing the engineer working on the MagnaGuard.

"Come on, just rip out its hardware!" another super battle droid urged. "What the General doesn't know can't hurt him! It's one less of those stupid wastes of metal! Just tell him it was damaged beyond your repair!"

"Maybe I ought to slice into your cranial components and figure out what's wrong with them too!" the engineer bit back. "Your circuits are loose! I'm not going to trick him! I hate these things just as much as you do but orders are orders. And I don't want to risk destruction because you're overtly jealous."

While the engineer was conversing with its fellow droid and working on the MagnaGuard's head, the fusion cutter it held accidentally touched a mechanism within the mechanical skull. A small explosion of sparks erupted from the head. The engineer recoiled by this but recovered a second later and fervently labored to fix the tiny problem.

But things only continued to grow progressively worse with each second that went by. The shower of sparks grew more intense as long as the engineer tried to remedy the issue. The droid's eyes began to flicker to life.

Suddenly, it sat up. The engineer yelped in shock. Celia took a few steps back in fear. The other battle droids could only watch everything going on from a distance.

"IG-106, you must recline on the table so I can perform the necessary repairs," the engineer ordered. "The General…"

Before it could possibly finish its sentence, IG-106 grabbed the droid by its neck and cleanly ripped its head off. Celia gasped in fright and she took a few more steps back to distance herself from the homicidal mechanical warrior. The MagnaGuard focused its eyes on her. Ruby eye sensors glowed with an unholy and evil aura. In its malfunctioning head, the battle at the city was still going on.

"All enemy targets must be exterminated," it said in a low yet electrical tone.

The little girl was as white as snow. Her limbs were locked and her heart raced rapidly. IG-106 grabbed the electrostaff and activated it. Purple electricity pulsated through the melee weapon as it twirled it around, signaling that it was ready to kill.

"Protect the Human!" a super battle droid ordered anyone. "We must obey the General's orders!"

Celia screamed at the top of her tiny lungs as the MagnaGuard took a step closer to her. Three B1 ones ran up to the girl to get her away from the dysfunctional droid. With a few jabs and swipes of its trusty weapon, the lesser droids were easily taken care of. At that point, she summoned up what courage she could and she bolted out of the room.

"I must bring victory to my master!" IG-106 growled as it saw Celia run away.

The crazed droid tore through its own comrades like a ravaging hurricane before they could even run out to accompany Celia. She fled down a corridor, running as fast as her legs would allow. IG-106 spotted her just before she turned at a bend in the hall and continued on with its mission.

"Help me!" she cried. "It's trying to kill me! Help me, please!"

"You cannot run forever, miserable organic!" it said villainously as it began to gain on her.

The droid's stride was of course much longer than hers and it was catching up rather quickly. Celia could hear the buzz of the electricity and the whirl of its _Izvhoshra_-style cloak as it approached.

"HELP ME!" she screamed so loud her throat ached.

When she spun around to check to see how close it was exactly, she tripped on her own feet. Celia slammed to the ground, falling roughly onto her stomach. IG-106 halted and stood inches away from her. It raised its electrostaff high over its head, ready to gore her.

"Prepare to die, fleshling," it said.

She shut her eyes to accept her death for she saw she couldn't escape the ruthless determination the droid had. Because she shut her eyes, she failed to notice that a huge shadow had engulfed her form. It wasn't IG-106's shadow.

Celia's blue eyes fluttered open and all she saw were a great big pair of metal arms gently yet firmly scooping her up into them. Instinctively, she buried her face into her rescuer's duranium chest. A second later, she heard a sickening crunch that sounded like metal and gears being smashed to pieces. Another second went by and she heard something crash loudly to the ground. One arm that was wrapped around her grabbed a lightsaber and activated it. He then plunged the glowing blade into the MagnaGuard's chest, destroying it for good.

When she heard the lightsaber deactivated, Celia finally looked at the droid who attempted to kill her. There was a massive dent in its face. There were pieces of metal and other tiny mechanical components scattered on the floor. In the middle of IG-106's chest, there was a still-burning hole from the lightsaber.

At last she looked at her savior. Grievous was looking directly at her with furious eyes. She wet her lips. His eyes pierced right through her very soul and she felt she was endangered once more.

Grievous set her back down onto her feet.

"Celia, you have deliberately disobeyed me!" he said. "I have told you very clearly to remain in your room until I was to come see you! Do you want to tell me why you have defied my orders?"

"Grievous, I'm so sorry!" her tears came back. In her playfulness and curiosity with her new environment, she had forgotten all about the promise she made to him last night. "I forgot! I'm sorry!"

Lushros Dofine and a small company of battle droids then stumbled up onto the scene. The Neimoidian captain thought he was going to have a heart attack. The cyborg's attention drifted to the newcomers.

"Clearly, I must be speaking some language in which no one on this ship can understand," he lashed out. "Dofine, did I not give you orders to make sure this little brat was to remain in her room and not run free in the corridors?"

"Yes, sir, you did," he nodded. "It was the battle droid that guarded her, General. It was careless and negligent."

Grievous turned back to Celia.

"Do you see what your curiosity has done to you?" he raved. "You almost died a moment ago! As of now, you better readjust your attitude and actually start listening to me, girl… I did not ask much of you! All I required was that you listen to me and you weren't even capable of doing that! Do you want to go back to your home where your parents' bodies are?"

"No!" Celia wept. She was an emotional wreck. "I…"

"No more. No more… I cannot even bear to look at you now." Grievous grabbed Lushros by the front of his robe and pulled him over to his side. "You will personally guard this brat until I lose the urge to kill her. Do not let her out under circumstances or I will kill you both. I cannot trust the blasted droids to do something as simple as guard duty anymore."

"Y…Yes, General!" Dofine said hurriedly.

"For your sake, I hope you do just that, Captain." He released him from his grip. "I am going up to my quarters so leave me be."

"Grievous, I'm sorry…" Celia sniffled. "I promise to never do it again. Will you please forgive me?"

Heartlessly, he disregarded her mournful apologies. With a twirl of his cloak, the Kaleesh turned his back on the Human, the Neimoidian and the droids. Purposefully, he walked over the MagnaGuard he dispatched and crunched its head to sheet metal as his talons compressed it.


	7. Chapter 7 Blossoming

**Hello there everyone! I really didn't expect to get so many reviews for one chapter and I'm very happy that I did get that amount and I guess I did a good job with writing it! Thank you all so much! :) I had lots of fun while writing this chapter and there were many LOLs while I was working on Grievous' dialogue and preventing him from being OOC. I'm happy with the result and I think you all will be too! You know the drill, just R&R as usual and enjoy!**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 7 Blossoming

(_Invisible Hand_ – three hours later…)

"My lord, just as you asked me to, I had confronted Borealia's monarchs, King Caratacus and Queen Bela."

The hologram form of Count Dooku smiled gently. Genuinely, the Sith apprentice was pleased that his student actually did that little request and not send out some messenger droid to do the negotiations. He knew Grievous had loathed political affairs and had zero patience for such things. Dooku had many times urged patience and grace with his belligerent minion and had stressed the importance of it during conquest, especially when it came down to the pacification of conquered worlds. When he heard Grievous had confronted the rulers, the suave old man felt as if he had accomplished something indirectly by civilizing him.

"Ah, that is good to hear," Dooku nodded, showing his approval. "And how did everything go?"

Grievous dreaded what he was going to tell his master. He knew Dooku would be annoyed but not angry by the news of their deaths.

"They are dead, my lord," Grievous revealed.

Dooku's smile evaporated. He scowled heavily.

"Courtesy of you, I'm sure," he sighed.

"They were the ones that tried to kill me!" the cyborg defended himself. "I merely defended myself! It was perfectly justifiable!"

The elderly Human man rolled his eyes. A sigh escaped from his mouth and he shook his head in disappointment. Grievous took these signs quite heavily and practically exploded at him.

"You don't believe me, Count?" he blurted. "Caratacus put a blaster up to my head and told me to kneel so he could shoot my brains out! I killed him for a good reason! And his crazy wife leapt at me to save him! I am not always the aggressor as you perceive me to be! I did just as you wanted but things had to be adjusted to the current situation… Besides, Caratacus was a staunch Republican. He would not yield to my authority."

Dooku looked at Grievous inquisitively. One of his eyebrows cocked and he seemed intrigued. He folded his hands together. The Count's holographic form crackled.

"What?" Grievous asked in an annoyed voice. "What did I say or do now?"

"There is something on your mind," his master replied. "The Force is telling me something. You seem to be a bit angrier than usual. Before you try to lie to cover up anything from me, tell me the truth, General. Sometimes, you are so easy to read. In a way, you're far too predictable."

"There is nothing going on! What have I to hide from you? You are persistently invasive with all my doings and the sad thing is, you almost know too much about me."

"Really? Even though I am looking at you right now through my hologram projector, I can sense all the tension in you. Act like the overgrown child that you are, Grievous. I am going to send a governor to Borealia soon and you are to remain there until a new government that will serve our interests is set up." Dooku grinned evilly. "So until then, you can just wallow in your own self misery and those explosive emotions."

The transmission was cut out. Grievous glared at the transmitter angrily.

"You have no idea what goes on in my mind," he thought bitterly.

It was true: he was angrier than usual because he was still stewing over Celia's defiance and the inability of her temporary guardians to take care of her. Three hours later, he was still irked but he wasn't as angry as earlier. In a way, he saw it was inevitable.

The General slumped into his seat, basking in the momentary peace and quiet he relished. He placed his sturdy and inorganic arms on the armrests. Silently, he remembered today's events.

At the moment, he could care less that he killed the Zahree monarchs and their remaining guardsmen. It was the highlight of his day but it wasn't that fulfilling. He was more focused on what happened when he arrived back on his ship.

He could hear Celia screaming at the top of her lungs as IG-106 chased her. He didn't know why but his first reaction was to follow her screams and see what the problem was. Grievous would've disregarded this normally and just went along with his own business but there was this unexplainable inner voice that told him to go. More than anything else, it was raw instinct.

When he rounded the bend and saw what was going to happen, instinct controlled him once more. The MagnaGuard was not an accomplice driven by blind fury that could be reasoned with: it was a mortal enemy. It had to die and she had to be saved. Without thinking at all, Grievous snatched her up and held her close. Lashing out a foot, he kicked the droid in the faceplate. When it fell to the ground, he activated a lightsaber and plunged it through its chest.

And from those harrowing few moments, there was one thing that stood out so boldly as the whole scenario replayed in his mind. Celia had buried her face into his chest like a child wanting their parent to hide them from the horrors of the galaxy. Once more, all Grievous could think of was Kalla, the daughter that Celia reminded him the most of. At the same time, he thought it was all so strange because the little girl he rescued was not his daughter remotely. It was an orphan Human girl, born and raised on a former Republic world. But he reacted as if she was his own.

Grievous stirred uncomfortably in his seat. Naturally, he was disturbed by what he did and how he exactly reacted. She was a street urchin who won his mercy solely because she was so young. The other reason why he took her in was that she reminded him of Kalla and that was a motive that he would never confess to anyone.

To make matters worse, she cried pitifully and begged for his forgiveness.

"She's a foolish little brat so no wonder why she failed to adhere to my demands," he thought to himself. "I should've expected to see this come about sooner or later. The droids are completely worthless. And children are children… I think I've scared her so badly she'll never disobey me again." Grievous rose out of his seat. "I suppose I might as well check up on her. If no one else can properly look after her, then I will."

(The organic quartering level…)

Captain Dofine was sitting down with his back up against the cabin door. Every once in awhile, he could hear her whimper and cry but Celia always fell silent shortly afterwards. Grievous didn't forbid her to eat so when the girl was confined to her room, Lushros sent a droid to get food for her. It returned with her delayed breakfast and as far as he knew, the captain didn't know if she actually did eat or not. He did pity her since she was only five and privately he believed the cyborg shouldn't have treated her cruelly after IG-106 had been destroyed.

"Ms. Celia, are you alright in there?" Dofine said out loud.

"I'm okay…" she said almost inaudibly. "Grievous really scared me. I wanted him to forgive me but he didn't listen to me. He doesn't like me too much…"

"Well, you were supposed to listen to him. And everyone knows that you must obey Grievous. He hates it when people disobey him. You're very lucky he didn't kill you."

"Maybe I am a brat just like he said… I'm a stupid little kid!"

The Neimoidian felt awkward trying to console her.

"The only thing I can tell you is to listen to him and you'll live," he said. "I can only hope some family will adopt you as quickly as possible so that you can live."

"You are relieved of your post, Dofine."

Lushros was oblivious to Grievous' presence. He looked up, seeing Grievous staring back at him. Without taking his huge red eyes off him, Dofine stood up and hustled away with intentions to make it back to the security and familiarity of the control bridge.

"Open the door up, Celia," Grievous ordered, making sure his anger was in check. "I want to speak with you about earlier."

Celia was paralyzed with fear. She sat cross legged on her bed, staring incessantly at her door. Her vocal cords shriveled up and she didn't know whether to speak or even breathe.

"Celia," he restrained his impatience, "I know you're in there." He forced himself to be tender. Once more, Grievous reminded himself she was only a youngling. "I'm not going to hurt you. Please, open up the door. I promise I won't kill you."

She decided to take a chance. Celia shakily walked over to the control panel on the door and unlocked her door. Then she ran back to her bed and sat up on it, folding her knees against her chest. The door opened and he stepped in. He noticed that her eyes were bloodshot and overly moistened, hinting to the fact she was crying not too long ago.

"No more crying," said Grievous. "All those tears are very unnecessary. I'm…" Being nice was quiet hard for him to do. "I'm not mad at you anymore. I understand why you did the things you did."

"Really?" she asked, her features perking and lightening up already. "I am sorry still. I promise I'll be a better girl! I'll never disobey you again!"

Grievous realized his cloak was wrapped around her little body. He could see it was wet in some patches probably from when Celia used her "blanket" as a makeshift tissue. He groaned internally but he pretended to ignore it.

"And you saved me," she went on. "I almost died and you saved me from the big scary droid. Thank you for saving me, Grievous!"

"Umm…" He hesitated. "Certainly…"

"So you really forgive me?"

"I will if you swear to really listen to me. When I tell you something, it's for your own good. For the time you will be with me, you have to learn how to trust me. Can you do that, Celia?"

"Yes, I promise! I'll listen to you like you're my Mommy and Daddy! No more fooling around!"

"Then I forgive you."

Celia was back to her normal bubbly and happy self once again. She loosened her tense and fearful posture. Her beaming smile returned.

"I want to give your cape back!" the little girl said.

Celia took it off and held it high above her head. It fell around her like a curtain, completely concealing her form. To his greatest surprise, Grievous laughed ever so softly at this sight.

"No, keep it," he insisted. "I have many more cloaks."

"Gee, thanks!" Celia giggled merrily. "I love it! It's really comfy and it kept me warm and toasty when I slept!" She pulled it off again and threw it up onto her bed. "I'm really happy you're not mad at me anymore…"

Grievous noticed a bare tray that was sitting at the foot of her bed. From seeing that, he had assumed she did eat after all.

"You've eaten?" he asked, pointing to the tray.

"Yes, Mr. Dofine gave me breakfast!" Celia confirmed. "I like him."

"I'm sure you don't want to stay in this room until you go to bed later on. And I'm very sure you still want to explore the ship, don't you? I cannot trust the droids to look after you for too long so I guess it's my turn to babysit you." He walked out of the room and halted in the doorway. "Come on, child. I will let you run around and explore to your little heart's content as long as I am watching you carefully."

Celia screamed in glee. It was a slicing and abrasive noise that temporarily scrambled Grievous' audio receptors.

"This is gonna be so fun!" she bounced up and down. "I get to play! Thanks a lot, Grievous! I think we're gonna be best friends!"

"What in the name of the gods have I done?" Grievous complained privately. "She's going to make me kill myself…"


	8. Chapter 8 Enter Rax Linn

**Hey everyone! Thank you all for last chapter's reviews! And OMG wow somehow I managed to write a short chapter instead of making it drag on forever! I thought about adding more content to this chapter but I decided it was good enough to be it's own chapter. It may be a little boring but oh well that's plot development. I was planning on releasing this a little later on in the week but I have finals and mountains of other work to do... I have some of the next chapter done and I probably won't release it until next week when I wrap up this semester. As usual, R&R and please enjoy the chapter! :)**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 8 Enter Rax Linn

(Coruscant- approximately a day and a half after the Battle of Borealia)

"What do you have to say about this, Master Yoda?"

Obi-Wan and Yoda sat cross legged on meditation cushions in a dimmed room. The blinds were shut and only stray beams of sunlight managed to penetrate the shadows. The hustle and bustle of the planetary metropolis didn't even seem to exist anymore as long as the blinds were down.

The diminutive green Jedi Master mulled over the matter Obi-Wan had contacted him about just before the _Archangel_ left Kamino. While aboard the ship, the Human Jedi relayed Lieutenant Joel's desperate transmission to Yoda for his advice on the matter. And he most certainly did have an opinion of this matter.

"Imperative it is to liberate Borealia," said Yoda. "I agree with you I do that Grievous might use the resources to make more droids. Destroy any and all droid factories we must."

"But do you think it would be wise to send a spy to survey the situation for us?" asked Obi-Wan. "Personally, I think it is so that we can figure out exactly what is going on. And if we plan it well enough, we might even be able to make our plot fool proof to the point where we can even possibly capture Grievous."

"Determined you are, Master Kenobi perhaps even more so than others. True, many of us want Grievous imprisoned and brought to justice. But many are afraid to try as well. Understand their fear I do. Many fellow brothers and sisters we have lost to Grievous' wrath."

"I have crossed paths with him numerous times and still he manages to elude me. I just wish to have this sorted out as meticulously as possible. Master, if we capture Grievous, it's one giant step closer to victory. I would try to spy myself but I must organize a fleet and mobilize reserves here in order to begin. Maybe I would've even asked Anakin to do it but he's having too much fun on the opposite side of the Outer Rim where Borealia is located on the other side. I know he's itching to see Grievous at last but he's too preoccupied."

"Understand your reasoning I do. A spy we must send. And a candidate for your mission I have selected."

"Is this Jedi qualified though? I will feel dreadful if they are not competent enough and are killed by him."

"Aspiring and more than willing is our volunteer. Spoken to him I have of the potential dangers and risks of this mission. But willing he is. Just freshly graduated to Knighthood he has."

Obi-Wan actually felt a tinge of doubt within him. He heard of many Jedi who believed they were capable of challenging Grievous. And the majority ended up dead. Because he respected Yoda deeply, he didn't want to disagree with the choice of candidate who apparently was young. Yet at the same time, he had no idea who this possible spy was so he couldn't even judge them or Yoda's belief in them.

"Well, who is it?" Obi-Wan wondered.

"Enter, please, Young Linn," Yoda said, facing the closed door.

Yoda sensed the Jedi's presence as soon as he was about knock on the door for permission to come in. The door swept open and a Bothan walked in. He wore tan robes and dark brown boots. Around his belt, there was a meager belt with a lightsaber hilt attached to it. The Knight bowed to both of the Jedi Masters and took a seat on an available meditation cushion.

"Introduce yourself to Master Kenobi, you must," urged Yoda. "Don't be shy."

"It's an honor to meet you face to face, Master Kenobi," the Bothan smiled. "I am Rax Linn, a Jedi Knight."

"It's an equal pleasure to meet you, Rax," Obi-Wan smiled affably. "Master Yoda told me you graduated to Knighthood. For that, I congratulate you."

"Thank you, Master. I appreciate it heartily."

"Now Master Yoda told me you were available and quite willing to do this task I have in mind… Are you sure you really want to do this?"

"I am more than happy to participate in any activity that will bring our Republic one step closer to victory. And I believe that mechanical horror has been running along free in the galaxy for too long. Grievous must be brought to justice at all costs."

"May I ask what your qualifications are?"

"I am proficient in the technique of Force cloak, Master. I will be virtually invisible to the enemy. Since Grievous nor his droids can use the Force, they will not be able to detect my presence."

"Really? Can you show me what you can do, please?"

"Certainly."

Rax exhaled and shut his eyes. He focused and let the Force flow through him and around him. A few seconds later, he steadily evaporated into nothingness and was rendered completely invisible to the naked eye. Obi-Wan was impressed with this young Jedi's skill in cloaking. But at the back of his mind, he felt it wasn't enough.

"Very good," he commented. "And how old are you?"

"I'm twenty, Master." Rax rematerialized.

"Your Master must be proud of you."

"I can only hope. My master was Giza Tengu. She was killed by Grievous at Borealia. Master Yoda told me the news when he received the transmission from you, Master Kenobi."

"So, this is personal…"

"Be wary of dark feelings, you must be, Rax Linn," warned Yoda. "Yes, killed by Grievous Master Tengu was. But driven by hatred and revenge you must not be. Against the Jedi way it is."

"I fully understand, Master Yoda," Linn nodded his head. "I will steel myself and be as strong as I can be. My only focus will be reconnaissance and nothing more." He faced Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi, it would bring me great honor if you entrusted this mission to me. I promise I will not fail. In a way, I see this is as further test I must accomplish in order to be a worthier Jedi. It will only make me stronger and wiser."

He did seem promising and he could understand why Yoda suggested him to go as a spy. But still, Obi-Wan was unsure. It was just a deep feeling in his gut. How he hated those bad feelings.

"Alright then," he reached his verdict. "Rax Linn, I will choose you to participate in this plan of mine."

A serene smile graced the Bothan's furry face. He titled his head downwards.

"A thousand thanks, Master," he said.

"Give you a few days we will to prepare yourself, young Jedi," said Yoda. "Strong you must be for this mission. Room for error, there is none. Dismissed you are. May the Force be with you."

"And may the Force be with you as well, Masters," Rax stood up onto his feet.

The Jedi Knight quietly left the room with the door automatically shutting behind him. As he walked farther away from the room where Obi-Wan and Yoda wore, his expression underwent a dramatic metamorphosis. His subtle smile melted away and was replaced by a grim frown. His lips parted which created a harsh sneer and his teeth were starting to become visible. Rax clutched his lightsaber hilt as his fury began to break through his cool and calm exterior.

"I loved you as if you were my mother, Master Tengu," he thought. "For ten years, you guided me and taught me. He will pay for what he did to you and all the evil he has sown. Everyone else is too cowardly to go after him from the shadows. But I will... I will spy. And I will stab him in the back when he's not looking. I will kill cowardice with cowardice. I will kill one life to sacrifice countless others. I cannot and will not fail this mission."


	9. Chapter 9 Lies and Lockets

**Yay I'm done with my fall semester! :3 Now I can start to get back on track with everything. I wish you all a merry Christmas and happy holidays! I most likely won't be submitting a new chapter until Christmas is done but I will definitely have a new chapter up before the New Year. Thank you for all your reviews and please enjoy the new chapter (even though it is quite long... O.o)!**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 9 Lies and Lockets

(Borealia: late afternoon)

"Go, run free." Grievous then muttered. "Just please distance yourself from me."

Celia looked at the massive space that was the hangar bay. Her blue eyes were huge with awe and excitement. She squealed and immediately fled down the small flight of stairs to run wildly around the empty hangar. The wandering battle droids looked around madly with every scream she let loose, thinking someone was being murdered.

Sighing heavily, Grievous slumped down to the ground. He sat against a wall and buried his masked face into his hands. To him it felt like centuries but in reality it was about six hours. For six hours he had somehow endured her antics. Honestly, he didn't know how he did it. But what he did know was that he was mentally exhausted. His eyes hurt from looking around all the time as he watched Celia dart from place to place like a swift marauder. The many questions she asked him buzzed around in his brain mercilessly no matter how hard he tried to block them out.

And amidst all this, he somehow didn't lose his temper or snap. It actually astonished the General that he didn't strangle her for torturing him. He also had to admit that she was acting fairly well for being so young. Grievous had assumed she was somehow traumatized by him when he yelled at her earlier on in the day and that contributed to her good behavior. All she really did was run around, explore and ask questions. He only had to raise his voice at her a few times and that was when she left his sight.

"Grievous, make them play with me!" Celia yelled.

Grievous looked up when he heard her voice. She was standing with two irritated B1s and a reluctant droideka.

"General, do we really have to?" one of the B1s pouted.

"Play with her or die!" the cyborg thundered.

"Yikes! Okay, okay…"

"Thank you, Grievous!" Celia said happily.

"Little brat…" the Kaleesh mumbled.

"Well, maybe not…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't want to play with droids! I want to play a game with you! You just sat down and watched me play all day! That's no fun!"

The three droids rejoiced and promptly ran off before she could force them to be her playmates once more. Grievous felt anguished when she told him that.

"Trust me, I'm having a marvelous time watching you!" he tried to discourage her. "Just play, Celia."

His words fell on deaf ears. The little girl ran over to his side. Grievous had no desire to fight with her any longer. All he could do was just remain sitting down. Celia sat right next to him.

"But I don't want to play if you don't want to," she said.

"I've got a brilliant idea!" the half droid said. "Let's play one of my favorite games!"

"You have a favorite game? Well, let's play it!"

"It's called 'The Quiet Game'. All you have to do is to be as quiet as you can and not say a word. Whoever stays quiet the longest wins. Let's start now!"

"That's a stupid game!"

Grievous growled in an angered and exasperated tone.

"Well, fine," he sneered, "what do you want to play?"

"I want you to give me a piggy-back ride! You're tall like a tree and if I sit on top, I'll be queen of the galaxy!"

"Do I look like a bantha to you? This is so foolish…"

"How about…" She noticed the lightsabers around his waist and in his cloak. "Let's play 'Lightsaber Fight'!"

"Ha! You wouldn't last three seconds! I could kill you so effortlessly! You're only five and this is only for mature people."

"I'm mature!"

"No, you're not. Anyway, when is it time for you to go to sleep?"

"It's still the afternoon but the sun's gonna go down soon…"

"Please tell me you're lying."

"I don't tell lies to you, Grievous. You told me to be a good girl and I'm gonna listen to you."

"My brain hurts when I hear your voice. Please, Celia, go play with the droids."

"But can I ask one more question?"

He rolled his eyes and sighed. Grievous blinked.

"What?" he asked, expecting a completely random and trivial question.

Celia looked away from his face and looked at his body. She looked at his torso and then observed his arms and legs. Finally, she made eye contact with him again.

"I know you're not a droid because you have eyes and I see your guts but what happened to you?" said Celia.

Out of all the other questions she asked him today and yesterday, this one seemed the deepest. This one wanted an answer badly. No other questions were going to be asked until she had a reply from this one.

"To make a long story short, I got into a really nasty crash," he explained, making sure she was able to understand. "My ship blew up and I just barely lived. My lord, Count Dooku, saved me by putting me in this body."

"That stinks!" Celia scowled. "Who blew up your ship?"

"Jedi…"

That was something she couldn't believe. She wore a confused expression.

"But my Mommy and Daddy told me the Jedi were fighting to protect us," she said. "They always told me the Republic was good."

"Your parents are seriously mistaken," Grievous said with his voice dripping of contempt. "Child, sometimes you mustn't even believe the things you were exposed to even when you are growing up. The Jedi and the Republic are hypocrites. They're all liars."

"My Mommy and Daddy lied to me?"

"If they were told the same things when they were your age and they believed it true, they were only blind. They told you truths that were actually lies."

"I'm confused!"

"That's why I'm not going to explain anymore to you. You're too little. All I can tell you is that you shouldn't believe everything you're told. I had to find out the hard way many times when I was young."

"Grievous, did you have a family before you got this body?"

"You said one more question. No more. I don't want to talk right now. Go play."

"Okay. I'm sorry."

Celia stood up and started to walk away from him. Then she turned around and glanced back at him. Grievous only looked back, just waiting to hear what she'd have to say next.

"I don't think you're a droid," she said. "My Daddy told me a lie before he died. I heard him talk with Mommy and he called you a droid. But you're not one. You just got really bad boo-boos and you we're gonna die if you didn't get help. You're not a droid, you're my friend!"

(Evening)

'_You're not a droid, you're my friend!_'

Celia's words buzzed around in his head as he dully inspected a lightsaber hilt: it was the newest addition to his collection. It was a green blade that he had won from the Rutian Twi'lek Jedi Master he killed nearly two days ago. As long as her words plagued him, he couldn't feel the euphoric joy he normally encountered as he held a hilt. Every time he held one, flashes of the fight he had waged with the Jedi who once had it played back in his head like a miniature movie. Grievous currently didn't have that luxury because of that statement she said. All he could think of was those words.

He had sent her off to bed an hour ago and immediately after doing that, Grievous retreated to his quarters for some much needed relaxation and isolation. While he was babysitting her, he had once forgotten what it felt like to be a child's caretaker. Last time he checked, it was a more pleasant experience. However the children he cared for were his own. This one was someone else's who just so happened to be dead.

On a more positive note, Grievous initially felt the whole experience was going to be simply unbearable. Yes, she did run around a lot and she was loud at times but it all turned out to be not so bad. He even saw some good in the time he spent with her: he built somewhat of a tolerance towards Celia.

The cyborg placed the blade back into his cloak and he took a step closer to the massive window. He looked through it and his eyes were beheld once more with the ruins. The moon was growing fuller with each night and became brighter out. His gold eyes glazed over slightly and he zoned out, becoming lost in his misty thoughts once more.

"Grievous!"

He nearly leapt out of his inorganic body in shock. Fervently, he looked around as he was caught completely off guard by the voice. He saw no one.

"Down here!" someone giggled.

Grievous did as the voice suggested. Celia was smiling once more.

"You," he breathed. "You brat!"

"I surprised you!" she said. "I snuck up on you when you were staring out the window!"

"What are you doing up out of bed? Aren't you supposed to be exhausted from all that exploring and playing?"

"I can't go to sleep. I mean, I'm sleepy but I can't sleep."

"You are a true headache… Just try. Close your eyes and relax."

"I can't! My Mommy always played the lullaby for me on my locket to help me sleep. The music is so pretty and makes me really sleepy."

"You've got to be joking… You're going to make me walk out to your house and get it for you, am I right?"

"I can't lie, remember? Please, Grievous, I want my locket. I'll go with you so you won't get lost."

"Now hold on a minute. Sit in the chair." Obediently, Celia sat down in Grievous' seat. "I do not run errands for anyone. However, I am feeling unnaturally merciful now. I will go out and get it for you only if you promise to go to your room for the rest of the night."

Her auburn hair shifted as she vigorously nodded her head.

"Yes, I promise," she said. "I only want my locket, please. I'll never ask for anything from my house again."

"Good, because after I get this little trinket of yours, that's it for sure," Grievous said curtly.

The cyborg walked over to the table and opened up a metal box that sat on the surface. Inside the box, there were about a dozen lightsaber hilts. Celia bounded over, curious to see them.

"That's so cool!" she said, attempting to crawl up onto the table to get a better look. "How come you have so many lightsabers?"

"You obviously lived a very sheltered and naïve life," he said, grabbing one of the blades. "I kill Jedi and take their blades from them."

She didn't suppress a loud gasp. Her eyes widened and she truly seemed to be shocked and alarmed by this. Grievous looked at her.

"That's what you do in war," he said. "You kill the enemy before they can kill you." He decided not to tell her he had a very personal vendetta against them.

"Oh, okay," she wore a disgruntled look and she was clearly confused and slightly startled still. "War's not fun. People die."

"You're not telling me much at all." Grievous placed a few of the blades into his cloak and around his waist. "I've lived it. Now let's get this foolish quest done and over with."

(Tyrin City – forty five minutes later.)

"I vaguely remember where your house is… It's right up this street, right?"

Celia was afraid of the dark. Her mind began to play tricks on her and could've sworn she saw shadows come to life as she walked along the abandoned streets. She was standing very close to the General.

Grievous urged himself to be tolerant and patient. He walled up his impatience.

"Celia, your home is right up this street, correct?"

When he tried to talk to her the first time, she was oblivious. The second time, she heard him. She gasped and turned up to him.

"Yes," she nodded her head.

"Well, let's continue onwards," he said. "We need to get back to our encampment as soon as possible."

He had to stop many times during this walk because Celia would halt and look around at the carnage. While she was studying everything in sadness and disbelief, he observed her quietly for a few seconds before he called her name, telling her to move along. Grievous even reduced his pace to make sure she would keep up with him. True, she was somewhat obnoxious and overtly curious but he pitied her.

"Grievous?" Celia asked.

"Yes?" he replied.

"Why did you attack my planet?"

"Count Dooku ordered me to. He wanted me to conquer this planet so I can harvest the natural resources here and use them to make more droids."

"I don't like him."

Grievous couldn't suppress a short laugh.

"Yes, not too many people like him," he said. "You have perfect reason to hate him. You also have reason to hate me too but you don't. You have to be the strangest little kid I've crossed paths with."

"You're nice to me," said Celia. "Well… sometimes. But that's because I was bad. Am I going to get a new family someday?"

Momentarily, he forgot that he was going to try to find a family to take her in.

"I'm going to have to because I can't let you stay with me for too long," Grievous reminded her.

"I don't like the dark," she whimpered, changing the topic once again. "There're monsters in the dark…"

"The only monster here is me and I'm fairly confident I'm scarier than anything that could lurking in the shadows. Nothing's going to threaten you, except me."

"You're not a monster! But you are scary sometimes."

That was very unusual for him to hear. His enemies and even his own allies had branded him a monster and mechanical aberration. Without any feelings at all, Grievous acknowledged this as the truth and he honestly did not care what anyone thought about him. To hear Celia say he had humanity was unbelievable at best. And it came from the mouth of an ignorant child.

"You are mistaken, child," he shook his head. "When you grow older and expand your mind, you will know the truth."

"What does that mean?" she scratched her head.

"See? Never mind."

Before he knew it, they were at the crumbling remains of what was once the Halcyn residence: Celia's house. They both stopped at the same time, standing a few feet away from the doorway.

"I left my locket on the kitchen table," she said.

Grievous took a single step into the home. He looked to his right and the hand of her parent was still beneath the rubble. Then the cyborg turned around, facing Celia.

"Stay right where you are, Celia," he ordered. "I think it's best for you to stay outside. I'll be out in a few moments. With your luck, if you step in, this place will collapse on us both." He didn't want to mention the hand, preferring to keep her mind free of sorrow and stress. "Can you do that?"

She sat down on the ground, showing her obedience.

"Okay," she said. "It's on the kitchen table like I said. I don't think the roof fell since I was gone so I think you should find my locket."

Maneuvering his large and inorganic frame into the house, Grievous entered. The room he immediately entered was what remained of the family room. Furniture was overturned and glass crunched beneath his talons from picture frames that had been shattered. It looked as if a bomb went off. And in all actuality, one did directly above the home.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this," the Kaleesh complained within himself. "There are so many more things I should be doing, like finding a family for this brat. As long as she will truly settle down and sleep if she has this blasted locket, I suppose I can tolerate this. It will make my life easier too."

He could see there was a doorway that conjoined the family room with another room. Grievous stood in that doorway and looked to his left, seeing a stairway that was completely sealed off by the caved in roof. Upon looking ahead however, he saw he was in a quaint kitchen.

The moon shone through a shattered window that now looked like a krayt dragon's mouth which sported shearing and jagged teeth. Bits of ceiling were strewn on the floor and there was piece of china too and some stray utensils here and there. To make the scene all the more unnerving and haunted, the General saw tiny bloody footprints.

Then he spotted the kitchen table sitting in the far corner of the room. The moonlight revealed to him the location of a tiny object that was teetering on the edge of the table. A chain dangled from it and it hung over the edge. Grievous walked over to the table and picked up the item.

In his clawed hand, he held Celia's locket. It was crafted from some sort of metal that was as shiny as silver. The locket was molded into a heart shape and there were loops and spirals engraved in it. On the side of it, there was a tiny button that was just begging to be pushed.

Once he did that, he blinked as he saw the locket open up. Inside of it, there was a mini hologram projector. A tiny blue beam shot out and soothing, yet slightly mournful music began to play. Little images of birds and flowers appeared in the hologram.

Silently, he listened to the ethereal song. It was so peaceful and almost angelic. To his surprise, Grievous found that his eyes became a little heavy as the music played. It calmed him and mellowed his hot blood. Every time he blinked, it seemed to be a second longer. For the first time in so long, he never felt so tranquil. The last time he felt such lax positivity was when he was with his family before he got his new body.

As he closed his eyes, he was whisked back to Kalee, half a galaxy away. He could almost feel the hot sun against his flesh. Once more, he could smell again and the heavy and salty aroma of the Jenuwaa Sea flooded his nostrils. The greenery of palm trees and other jungle plants invigorated his vision. Pulling off a violet flower from a blossoming tree, he breathed in the heavenly scent. Off in the distance, he could hear teenage boys yelling at one another, goading their brothers in a friendly duel. Mixed in with their noise, there were the soft voices of whispering and humming girls.

"_Hey, no fair! Even though we've got wooden swords, we're supposed to act like this is real!" _

"_Ugh, boys. Hey, did you hear about…?"_

He wanted to smile so badly but he couldn't.

A few minutes passed as he stood, listening to the enchanting tune and absentmindedly looking at the holograms of flowers and birds. Then the birds and flowers disappeared and were replaced by two figures: a man and woman. His eyes narrowed as he tried to discern their features.

"Sweet dreams, angel," the man said.

"We love you, Celia," the woman added.

A second later, the music died down and the hologram faded. The locket closed up and everything went back to the unholy calm. All Grievous could do was stare at the locket in disbelief, shocked by the calming effect it had on his very soul. He ran a finger across its surface.

"Now I know why this means so much to her," he thought.

"Grievous!"

Spinning around, he left the kitchen. He walked through the family room and out into the evening. Celia was still sitting on the ground.

"I was wondering if you were okay!" she said. "It took you a long time!"

"I got distracted," said Grievous. "I believe this is what you wanted me to get?"

He held the locket out to her. Celia's eyes watered and she happily took it from his hand.

"Thank you so much!" Celia exclaimed. "This is all I want… I can't believe I forgot about it earlier when I followed you back last night. My Mommy and Daddy gave it to me when I was a baby." She held it by the chain and placed it around her neck. "I'm never going to forget this again!"

Then Grievous remembered the bloody footprints he noticed on the kitchen floor.

"Let me see your feet," he ordered.

She plopped down on her rump and took off her shoes, exposing her little feet. He examined her soles, seeing that there were tiny cuts.

"I got boo-boos when I was walking around in my house after it blew up," she explained. "The glass and sharp pointy things cut my feet. But I'm all better now."

"That's what you think," said Grievous. "I will take you to the medical bay to make sure you don't develop an infection."

"I don't like the doctors! The doctor's gonna cut my feet off! Please, no!"

"Enough of the dramatics, Celia…"

"What?"

"Stop it, now. I will take you when you wake up tomorrow."

"Fine…" She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I wanna go back to the ship now."

"Perfect timing. Let's go."

But she didn't budge. Patiently, he watched her as Celia looked at her house one last time. A few tears trickled from her eyes and she sniffled.

"I want to look at my house one last time because I might never see it again," she said in a distant voice.

"I'll give you a few moments," he said.

"Bye-bye Mommy… Bye Daddy."


	10. Chapter 10 Trauma

**Hello there everyone! I hope you had an awesome Christmas/holiday! And I wish you all a Happy New Year too since the next chapter will be up shortly afterwards. I had an interesting time of playing with Grievous' character again in this chapter and once more, I pray that I didn't make him act OOC (but I think I've been doing a good job of keeping that in check from the beginning :D). Also, much thanks for the last chapter's reviews! R&R please and enjoy!**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 10 Trauma

(_Invisible Hand_ – the next day: morning)

"No! Please, no!"

"Celia, cease this nonsense immediately!"

"I'm afraid of the doctor!"

"This is ridiculous! Let go of my leg!"

The medical B1 unit stood perplexed at the sight. Grievous' impatience rose to stressful levels as the little girl was latched onto his leg. He dared not to overexert himself in releasing himself from her grip for concern of inexplicably harming her with his great strength. Celia was scared out of her wits by the situation and her arms were lassoed around his leg in a death-grip.

"Does the Human need to be sedated?" the droid asked. "I can arrange that, sir."

"No, that won't be necessary," he replied. "She just needs some coaxing, that's all." The General turned his attention back to the little girl. "Celia, listen to me."

"Don't let him kill me!" Celia pleaded. "I don't trust any doctor!"

"There is nothing scary about the doctor. All this droid is going to do is check the cuts to see if there're any germs in them. Germs get you sick, you know that?"

"Yes… My Mommy always said to wash my hands to get rid of icky germs…"

"So, the doctor's not going to do anything bad to you. Now let go of me before I get angry."

Slowly, she released him from her hold. The girl refused to back away from him immediately.

"Will you stay with me until I'm done?" she asked. "I would feel safer if you did, Grievous."

"I am not spoiling you," the cyborg answered. "I have no reason to do that. What are you so afraid of? You have a habit of running off without my supervision anyway."

"I just don't like doctors! And I don't want to get a shot without someone to hold my hand."

"Grow up."

"Sir, the checkup will be very brief," the droid said. "All I have to do is examine the cuts for signs of infection. It won't even take two minutes. The Human fleshling will be out before she knows it. I have other organic patients to tend to so I will make this quick and efficient."

Grievous rolled his eyes. He placed his hands behind his back and glowered slightly at her.

"Fine," he said in a grumpy tone. "I am only doing this because the examination will be swift and relatively painless."

"Thank you, Grievous!" She was blind to his sourness.

The droid grasped her left foot with an icy cold hand. Celia shuddered at the nip of the metal. With its available hand, the medical B1 extended a finger and a pale green beam shot out of the fingertip. It scanned her sole where the tiny cuts were centralized. After scanning for about ten seconds, it clenched its hand into a fist and the miniature hologram projector in its palm displayed a holographic data chart.

"The data from the scanning indicates there is no infection with the cuts on this foot," the droid announced. "Everything appears to be stable. Now it's time for the other foot."

Celia was shaking a little bit. She feared all doctors whether they were droid or sentient lifeforms. With fear, she watched as the medical unit scanned her other foot. Her blue eyes looked over at the half-droid, hoping for some emotional support from him. His nonthreatening stare was enough to soothe her.

"Well, the Human is free of any developing infections or maladies," it concluded. "Her health is stable and free of any issues."

"Good, that's out the way," said Grievous.

"What's going on?" she pondered.

"You're fine, you big baby."

"I'm not a big baby! So my checkup is done?"

"Yes…"

"Yay!"

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No. But I still don't like doctors." She grabbed one of his skeletal claw-like hands and yanked on it. "Come on, let's go hang out some more! There's so much more to explore!"

"Not so fast, child. I'm not any little brat's playmate. I'm sure that at this point in time you can see that I am a general. I have much work to accomplish."

"That's no fun! But can we please play for a little bit! I don't want to be bored!"

In truth, he had nothing to do. Since he spoke to Dooku yesterday, his orders were to wait until Borealia's new governor arrived. He was also never disclosed the exact time when the governor would arrive so he could safely assume it would probably take a few days or maybe a week for this person to arrive. And whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was relatively free of current duty. All Grievous had to do was make sure the Borealians weren't to rise up and try to take back their planet from the CIS.

"Ugh, I suppose I can watch over you for some time," he decided. "But you must learn how to make your own fun without me. And I have to reserve some time to find a family that will take you in."

"Cool!" she smiled and bounced up and down. "I know what I want to do too!"

"And what might that be?"

Celia giggled. She pointed to something around his waist. Grievous traced her field of vision, seeing that she was gazing intently at a lightsaber hilt.

"I want to play with one of those!" she said. "I know you told me they're for adults but will you teach me how to fight with one?"

"It takes many years to learn how to fight with a lightsaber," he said. "It's not child's play… But if you want to try it out so badly, then maybe I can do something about this."

(The General's Quarters – a few minutes later.)

"Choose whichever one you want."

On the table, there were several metal boxes that were opened up. Inside the boxes, there were half a dozen lightsaber hilts. Celia sat up on the table, trying to figure out which one to choose. She was amazed by how many were there.

"There's too many!" she threw her arms up into the air. "I know lightsabers come in some different colors. I want one in my favorite color: blue!"

"Blue," Grievous repeated. "You want blue. Well I know which one is blue right off the bat."

He picked up a certain hilt. The half droid chuckled shortly under his breath. This hilt belonged to a Jedi who had survived his wrath. Then he handed it over to Celia.

"This one belonged to a Jedi named Shaak Ti," he said. "The reason why I remember this lightsaber in particular was because she survived a fight against me. She's still alive…"

"So it's blue?" Celia asked, not caring about who the blade's previous owner was.

"Press the button and see."

She pressed the button on the hilt. A blue humming beam emerged from the hole. The child yelped when this happened and nearly dropped it. A huge smile then graced her little face.

"Do not, under any circumstances, touch that blue light," her guardian warned. "And watch what you do because if you do not, you will die. I'm not lying."

"I'll be careful, I promise," Celia nodded her head. "Now fight me!"

"As you wish, littlest challenger."

He reached for a lightsaber within his cloak that was the latest addition to his collection. Once he grabbed it, he then touched the clasp on his cloak. The dark and billowing cloak slid off his shoulders, revealing his duranium frame. Grievous activated the energy sword and a green aura emanated.

"Attack me," he said. "And don't worry about slicing me. I am more than capable of defending myself."

"Here I go!" she grinned. "I'm going to beat you, Grievous!"

Celia swung Shaak Ti's blade. Lazily, he defended himself. He knew she wasn't going to pose any trouble at all in this mock duel. It wasn't like she was a Jedi. Her blue weapon slammed against Grievous' green blade with some force but it obviously wasn't enough to break through his iron defense. She laughed happily as she play fought.

"You're losing!" she smiled. "Pretend that I'm beating you!"

"Oh, dear," he said in a sarcastic tone. "This puny little runt appears to be overwhelming me… How despicable."

"You're getting embarrassed!"

His impatience poked and prodded at him like a suicidal fool agitating a slumbering wampa. It was unspeakably demeaning and insulting to be obligated to serve as this orphan's playmate. He was General Grievous: feared, powerful, cunning, efficient, swift, worthy… And also tragic and not a complete monster. There were higher destinies he had to meet with and nobler actions to execute. Playing with a child was just… Wrong.

He could never allow himself to lower himself to her level and show some empathy for her sad story. But he did. There was pity for Celia. Someone so young and innocent deserves a second chance at life.

Once more patience and the small spark of mercy held back the raging waters. Reason had triumphed over raw emotion.

"Okay, I want you to attack!" said Celia. "I want to be fair and let you go now."

"It would be very unfair if you did," said Grievous. "Look at your situation. Even though this is relatively harmless, it can become quite severe for you quickly. I sometimes forget my own spectrum of strength and I might kill you by accident."

"But I want to see you fight back! You beat so many Jedi, I want to see you fight with my own eyes!"

"With an opponent such as you?" He scoffed. "That's cruelly unfair. I have enough honor to not strike a child down. I defend and you attack."

"You're just scared!"

She wore a sly smirk when she said that. There was a fleeting hint of arrogance in her voice. The General had the irrepressible urge to teach her a little lesson. And he knew exactly what to do.

"I will show you how I can beat you without even striking you," he said. "Are you sure you want to keep acting like an ungrateful munchkin?"

"I'm not afraid of you!" Celia was still role playing as her character in the game. "I'm the bravest warrior in the whole galaxy!"

"True… You may be the bravest but you certainly aren't the strongest or smartest!"

Before her eyes, Grievous' arms split. Her jaw dropped as three limbs then grabbed a hilt around his waist. With growing surprise and awe, she watched as they activated. Never had she seen such a spectacle of power and skill. The cyborg spun around his blades like a buzz-saw, creating dazzling flashes of color. She dropped her weapon as she stared at him.

"Oh my stars!" she practically screamed. Celia took a few steps back. Then she dropped to her knees and crawled beneath the table. "I surrender!"

Grievous laughed at what had just happened. With one last twirl of his lightsabers, he sheathed them and placed them back on his waist. His arms fused together.

He bent down to see her still cowering beneath the table. Right away, he noticed that the fear in her blue eyes was genuine: it wasn't fake. Her eyes were huge and she was panting heavily. Tiny beads of sweat began to seep from her pores.

"You got afraid of that?" he said, surprised by this. "I didn't mean to intentionally frighten you."

"I don't like bright flashes," she gasped. "They remind me of the bomb that blew up my house… I remember seeing a light then a second later there was a loud noise and the roof broke."

In other words, she was traumatized by the burst of light the bomb created as it struck her home. When he spun his blades around in the buzz-saw motion, it immediately made her recall what had happened two days earlier. Grievous had absolutely no idea something like this had been burnt into her psyche.

"I… I don't f-feel good…" Celia stuttered. "My heart hurts..!"

At first, he had no idea what to do or what was happening to her. The half artificial Kaleesh was stunned for a few seconds, his mind trying to figure out what was going on. Then the truth began blaringly obvious. He had seen this happen before many times: a panic attack.

He reached beneath the table and grabbed the frightened little girl. She was shaking like a leaf. Gently, Grievous made her stand up while he still knelt on one knee. He placed his hands on her shoulders. Then he looked right into her eyes.

"Soothe yourself," he directed in a surprisingly tender voice. For a moment, he sounded like he had his old voice. "It's alright… Look into my eyes and breathe, Celia."

She gripped her chest with her hand as her heart raced. Celia whimpered and struggled with the turmoil in her but she managed to stare into his golden eyes. They had no hint of evil or fury in them which was a very rare thing to witness. All these eyes bore were mercy and peace.

"Calm down. There is no danger here. Just focus on my eyes and breathing. You're safe, trust me."

His hands were heavy on her shoulders but they made her feel secure. Her eyes were glued to his and she forgot that the universe around them existed. When he blinked, it was smooth and slow in order to help her calm herself more. And she imitated that blinking.

Her pulse decelerated steadily. Her muscles loosened and her body became less tense. The urge to flee evaporated. Celia took in deep breaths, trying to ease her nerves.

Grievous noticed these changes. He could almost feel the panic roll off her little frame. A small sense of relief filled him when he saw her normalizing.

"Do you feel better, Celia?" asked Grievous.

"Yes," she wore a tiny but pleasant smile. "I feel better now." Then she threw herself toward him and embraced him. "Thanks a lot, Grievous!"

He didn't enfold his arms around her but he let her hug him. Her eyes were shut and her head was resting contently against his chest. Obviously, she wasn't deterred by hugging cool and hard metal. A moment later, she broke away from him.

"I must be aware of what you will be exposed to now," Grievous stood up to his full height. "I don't want you to go through another panic attack. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm okay," she assured.

"I think you've had enough fear on your plate already and it's not even the afternoon yet. I'm going to take you to your room and I want you to relax in there for a little while. Your locket's in there and you can listen to it."

"But I'm okay. And I want to be with you for a little longer!"

"No arguing, Celia. I think it's best that you spend some time away from me so you can deal with that fright. I need to get some work done anyway. I'll send one of my guards to check on you in a little while."

"Will I see you again today?"

"Later. You need time to relax. And don't worry, I'll make sure the guard I intend to send will not be a malfunctioning piece of scrap metal."

(Coruscant – The Jedi Temple: twilight)

Rax Linn was deep in meditation. He sat in one of the many courtyards the Temple complex held. But this one he visited was his favorite one. It was a tiny garden that was a quaint and lovely little oasis of nature amidst all the industrialization that consisted of Coruscant. When his Master and dearest friend was alive, this was where they trained and meditated together as well.

The Bothan Jedi was immersed in the Force yet he was keenly aware of his surroundings. His furry ears twitched every once in awhile as he heard the babbling of the water fountain or the tweeting of birds getting ready to settle in for the evening. The Force and the aura of serenity the garden exuded gave him more strength as each moment went by.

"Tomorrow," he thought. "Tomorrow evening, I leave this place and go out to Borealia. I know I have to remain strictly focused on just spying and surveying things for Master Kenobi but at the same time, I know there is a greater duty I must accomplish if I can. Why spy when I can assassinate an evil monster who has caused so much pain and misery in this galaxy? I know it's against the Jedi way and I could be expelled if I return victorious… But they have to see my reasoning. They have to! I'm helping everyone by doing this." Rax sighed out loud and then returned to his most private thoughts. "Master Tengu, please be with me. I think I need you more than ever now."

Rax could meditate no longer. He got up from his seat in a tree's shadow and walked over to the fountain. The Jedi Knight tilted his head downwards to the rippling pool of water, spotting his reflection.

"I have to succeed. If I don't, then only more will suffer and die. There's no turning back or time to be weak." Hot tears seeped through his eyelids. They slowly dripped down his face and assimilated with the fountain's cool water. "But if I should die, I will take him to the Netherworld with me. He will not win."


	11. Chapter 11 Governess Roma Merrik

**Hola everyone! Thanks for the previous reviews! :) Okay, so I decided to introduce another OC into the story just for the heck of it. For those not well-versed in the Clone Wars TV series, the OC is a cousin of a senator named Tal Merrik who got killed by Anakin Skywalker. I tried to make sure that she doesn't turn out to be a Mary Sue but she's not a very significant character in the story so I'm not going to stress making her perfect. And NO there will be no romance between her and Grievous. Also, I am in the process of helping a friend of mine rewrite a fic so I may update not as regularly but I will do what I can. Anyway, R&R and please enjoy the chapter! **

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 11 Governess Roma Merrik

(Borealia – the next day: morning)

"_The clouds of the world maybe gray but the sunshine in your heart should never ever go away…_"

Grievous was just about to knock on the door to Celia's cabin. On the other side of the door, he heard the locket music and her singing. The cyborg took a step closer to the door so he could listen to the lyrics of the music that had so entranced him almost two days earlier.

"_Monsters may scare you but just remember who loves you. Always look back on the love and think of the spring._"

Then the music abruptly died and Celia stopped singing. He must've arrived at her door just as the song was ending.

"I miss you, Mommy and Daddy…" She was talking to herself. "I have sunshine in my heart again. I have a new friend!"

He didn't want to hear her say that at all because he knew exactly whom she was referring to. He scoffed, shocked and disgusted that she'd consider him her friend and companion. Grievous knew it was quite unhealthy for her to see him in that light. In his mind, he was no one's friend. It wasn't because he didn't want them: it was due to the fact he didn't want anyone to get close to him. And of all lifeforms, why did it have to be a sweet, naïve and loving little girl?

"Celia," he tapped a finger on the door.

The General heard her gasp in glee and delight. There was the sound of her feet on rushing across the floor as she sprinted to the door. The door unlocked and there he saw her with an enormous smile on her face.

"Good morning," she said happily.

"Good morning," he repeated. "Did you have a good night's rest, child?"

"Yes. I listen to my locket when I get up in the morning and before I go to bed. It puts me in a good mood. Did you sleep good?"

"Because of my current state and body, I don't need to sleep."

She gasped.

"You stay up all night?" Celia asked. "Why aren't you a zombie?"

"It doesn't bother me at all," he explained. "In a way, it's kind of convenient when one doesn't need sleep."

"That's creepy." Her little shoulders then shrugged. "Can I have breakfast, please?"

"Yes, you may."

There was a lone B1 walking past them in the corridor. Grievous grabbed its arm and the droid screeched in fright.

"I didn't do anything!" the mechanical solider blurted.

"Shut up, you scrap heap," Grievous' golden eyes narrowed. "I need you to escort Celia to the galley: in one piece. If I find out something happened to her on your watch, I will personally disassemble you with my bare hands!"

"I won't fail! I just got off the assembly line! I'm too young to die!"

"I'll be good, don't worry," she promised. "I know to be good."

"Very well then," Grievous acknowledged and released the droid. "And I want you to listen to this droid and stay by it. I will see you shortly."

"Okay, Grievous." She looked at the droid. "Come on, Mr. Battle Droid! I want to eat!"

With a nonexistent smirk, the Kaleesh watched as Celia and her companion trekked down the hall. He had to admit, she was much more obedient and easy to control now. It was also apparent that she had adapted to her new and temporary home. And he still needed to search for a family for her…

"General Grievous, sir," a MagnaGuard's deep yet electrical voice buzzed.

Sighing in annoyance, he turned around to face his bodyguard.

"What?" he asked. Clearly, he didn't want to be bothered.

"There is a Human female standing outside the ship. She claims that she needs to see you for diplomatic purposes."

One of his eyes cocked. Every day was a brand new adventure with these droids and orphans.

"Is that so?" he said. "Who is she?"

"She says her name is Roma Merrik," the wardroid explained. "She says she was sent here by Count Dooku."

At that point, Grievous understood the point of the visitor's presence. He mentally face palmed himself.

"The governor is a governess," he said. "Ugh, and I must endure her presence already. I was hoping no governor was going to arrive until another week… Let's get this done and over with."

(A few minutes later – outside The_ Invisible Hand_)

Governess Roma Merrik had to explain herself again. She ran her hands through her ginger hair and rolled her gray eyes. It was tiresome to explain to these droids again and again her being there.

"I was given orders from Count Dooku himself to become the governess of this planet," she repeated for what felt like the tenth time. "I'm not a Republic spy! I'm certainly not some infiltrator like my late cousin!"

"You look sketchy, lady," a battle droid raised its blaster rifle. "Are you really telling the truth?"

"Yes, for the tenth time, yes!"

"Disperse, you fools!"

The booming voice made the battle droids flee immediately. Roma jumped within her cerulean and goldenrod robes but quickly composed herself. She stood straight and prepared herself. Since she left her homeworld a few hours earlier, she had to mentally brace herself for meeting with the infamous droid general.

Grievous arrived onto the scene, escorted by no droid. Governess Merrik held her head up but retained her polite and suave demeanor. All her political training would have to help her negotiate with this explosive soul and try to instill a new regime on Borealia.

"General Grievous, it is a great honor and pleasure to finally meet our rebellion's worthiest warrior," she said cordially. Roma bowed, showing respect.

"I presume you are the one Count Dooku sent?" he eyed her, trying to figure out if she was just another snobby Separatist politician.

"Yes, sir. I am Governess Roma Merrik. The Count did notify you that I would be on my way, am I correct?"

"Yes, he did but he never did tell me when you'd arrive. He likes to play games like that with me frequently. If I had some idea of when you'd arrive, the reception would be less frustrating."

"Perhaps I should've notified you myself… I apolo-…"

"Don't apologize for anything." He paused. "How old are you, Governess? You seem to be young. I was expecting an elder individual."

"I'm twenty one, General."

"That is commendable…" He just remembered his eldest child, Ronderu Sheelal, a girl, was the same age. "I congratulate you. The name Merrik sounds familiar to me…"

"My elder cousin was Tal Merrik. He was a Confederate sympathizer and he worked as a spy. He was killed a year earlier by a Jedi."

"I am sorry for your loss."

"I expected that to happen. I never really cared for Tal because he was quite unpleasant but he was still family. But anyway, may I come aboard your ship?"

"Certainly."

Grievous turned around and began to walk up to the ship's entrance. Roma jogged up to his side, nearly tripping over her robes. She had expected him to at least let her walk by his side as was political custom but she reminded herself this was a warrior: not a politician. So she could make an honest exception.

The many horror stories of his wrath and impatience with politics ran through her mind and she prayed she would be left in one piece at the end of this process. And the young governess hoped that politeness and patience would aid her. She couldn't blow it and she had to prove to Dooku that despite her age, she was a capable and promising politician within the Separatist Congress.

(Twenty minutes later…)

"So what government do you intend to set up?" Grievous interrogated. "Do you have your own idea, Governess, or has Dooku already transcribed something for you?"

"Count Dooku told me he wants to do construct a new government from scratch," Roma revealed. "He told me to think of it all as a test to prove my merit."

"Is that so? Well I certainly wish you the best of luck, Miss Merrik. I will aid you as duty calls me to do so for a governor but I can only help institute order on this planet for so long until I must move elsewhere."

"I am fully aware of that, General. I appreciate your support and I will value it while it will last. I do not mean to arrogant but by the time you leave, I believe I will have control of the situation."

"No, you don't sound arrogant. You sound confident and that's good. You must be confident if you are to become this planet's governor."

"I suppose…"

"Am I safe to assume that you have sleeping quarters on your shuttle?"

"Yes. I will not trouble you or your crew by taking up quarters here."

Grievous stopped in his footsteps and gave Roma his undivided attention. She felt uneasy as his eyes studied her but she couldn't let him know that.

"You are quite the unusual Separatist politician, Governess," he said. "All the ones I am accustomed to dealing with are rude, greedy, filthy cowards. It's quite unusual to see one so polite and humble especially when they are in my presence." He scoffed. "No doubt it's fear that keeps you so mellow and pleasant."

"Not at all, General," Roma lied a little. She did have some fear of him but she admired him at the same time. "It's just my nature and my approach to success, that's all. I believe that one should be a sensitive and understanding yet strong politician if one is to have success. True, I admit I am not like the others… My cousin Tal was one of them and I despised him for his cruelty. I promised myself that I would never turn out like him."

"Is that so?" Hardness returned to his eyes once again. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble but I know politics are not like that, Governess. It's all about cutthroats, shady business and money. Your ideals and visions are admirable but ill suited. If you do not develop a tougher hide, they will eat you alive in the Congress. And if you are dealing with miscreants, like this planet's inhabitants, you will be deposed, executed and thrown into a ditch."

Roma was taken aback by his words. She had failed to shroud the small amount of shock on her face. She blinked and momentarily averted her gaze from him. The young woman was a little angered by his words but she saw some kernels of truth in them. It was true: politics especially during this war, were quite deadly. But at the same time, she was minimally irked when he lectured her on politics while he was a warrior with virtually no interests in that field.

"I thank you for your consideration, General," she resumed, "but I think I will find my own way and learn from my mistakes as time goes on. I must learn to take a chance and be bold. I will heed your warnings though. However, I wonder if the Borealians are miscreants…"

"They will not yield to Separatist power," said Grievous. "I was trying to negotiate with the King but he decided to try to kill me. I had to defend myself and kill him, the Queen and the remaining guards."

"That may be the royal family's fault to accept defeat honorably but they may not necessarily be a reflection of their people. To become a successful governor of a newly conquered world, one must be stern yet comforting to the populace. With this method, they will gain your admiration and they will see the Confederacy as not an evil entity. And I personally believe that too. I abandoned my homeworld of Kalevala because I believed it was serving the wrong side."

"Kindness and mercy will get you nowhere when you must be a ruler of a pacified planet. The inhabitants will resist you and you must bring down an iron fist to instill order and fear if necessary. Your rule must be absolute and strong. You have to break them in order to make them obedient citizens."

She knew it would come to this. Roma maintained her calmness.

"Well, we now see where our boundaries lay," she said. "I respect your views even though they don't agree with mine. But I will not let this interfere with our cooperative efforts to bring this planet fully into the folds of the CIS."

"You're a smart one, Governess," the cyborg growled. "If you were a typical senator, representative or what have you, I'd send you back to Count Dooku into quarters."

"What's 'quarters', Grievous?"

Roma gasped out loud when she heard the little girl's voice. Instantly, Grievous spun around, seeing Celia with her hands behind her back. She was looking back at him innocently.

"Celia, leave now," he said in an agitated voice.

"Who is this precious child?" Roma smiled gently. She knelt down so that her eye level matched Celia's. "What's your name, little one?"

Celia sought refuge behind Grievous. Her head poked out slightly and she shyly looked back at the Governess. Quite cross and annoyed, Grievous folded his arms across his chest and tapped his talons on the floor.

"Grievous, who's that lady?" she asked. "She looks like the Queen with her pretty clothes!"

"My name is Roma," the ginger haired girl answered. "May I ask your name?"

"I'm Celia…"

"Pleased to meet you, Celia. Will you come out so I can see you? I promise I won't hurt you." She smiled. "I'm a nice lady."

"I like it here. I feel safe."

"You were never shy," Grievous grimaced. "Go out and say hello."

He placed a hand on the middle of her back and nudged her. Reluctantly, Celia took a few steps closer to Roma.

"You're a very pretty little girl, Celia," Roma commented. "You know the General?"

"Yes," she said sheepishly. "He let me stay here on the ship after my house blew up. He's my friend!"

"Is that so?" Roma smirked inwardly. This was completely unheard of for the cyborg to do. "Did you remember to thank him for being so nice to you?"

"Yes! Of course! I'm not a bad girl."

"I'm very sorry to hear about what happened, Celia."

"Grievous said he was gonna look for a family for me…"

"I wish you luck in that. I'm sure you will find a loving family who will be more than happy to take you in." She then spoke to Grievous. "Does the Count know you are giving temporary shelter to this girl?"

"No," he said shortly. "It was a little secret that was confined to this encampment."

"I promise I won't tell him or anyone else. I won't tear down the reputation you have built up over the decades. You can trust this unusual politician, can't you?"

"If you are an unusual politician, you will keep your word, Merrick. And I will hold you to your promise. If you break it…"

"I understand. I will let you kill me if I speak a word of this to anyone. You have my word and honor." She extended a hand to the mechanical warlord. "May we shake on it?"

He never shook hands. Often, he cut them off. And it was a politician's hand of all things! For a few moments, he looked at her hand, wondering if it really was worth it. He pondered over whether it was easier to kill her and tell Dooku she was killed by droids on the count of misidentification. But Celia was standing right between them. Grievous had no intention or desire to traumatize her impressionable and fragile mind even more.

He raised his clawed hand and grasped Roma's hand. With a brief shake, they sealed the deal.


	12. Chapter 12 The Search for Love

**Hi everybody! Sorry for not updating in awhile... I had a really rough time writing this chapter for some reason and I was so relieved when I finally finished this thing. Not only that, college started for me on Monday and now I see that my updates may become less frequent but I will try to do what I can and get at least one chapter in a week. On a more positive note, thank you for your reviews! I love you guys :) There's plenty of fluff in this chapter and it may be borderline nauseating but I tried to do what I could. Please R&R and enjoy the update! :D**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 12 The Search for Love

(Borealia – Separatist encampment: early evening)

"…And as your new governess, I will do everything in my power to make sure you adjust comfortably to the Separatist occupation. I will prove to you that not all Separatists are evil like you think they are, good citizens of Borealia. I am not a cruel dictator: I am a being with feelings and basic needs just like everyone of you in the crowd. Upon my honor, I hereby vow that I, Roma Merrik, will do my best to make sure you all have your inalienable rights and a new home in which you can start over."

A sea of hollow faces stared back at her. Roma read their blank expressions, seeing that they were void of any feelings. There was no joy, anger, sorrow or anxiety. All she saw was hopelessness. This observation disturbed her but at the back of her mind, she knew she should've expected to see such citizens so demoralized and broken. Their planet had been brutally taken over by none other than General Grievous.

"You want to help us?" a man yelled from the mass. "You can help us by getting this battle droid army out of here! And to make matters better, you can call the Republic over to help us rebuild everything you destroyed!"

The other Borealians began to shout in approval. Then jeers came from the crowd and their faces began to bear hostile expressions. Roma began to wring her hands in nervousness.

"Citizens, I have been sent here on strict orders to be the governess of this planet," she urged. "I'm sorry but I must follow them. Please, reflect on what I have just said and believe me! I am not an evil Confederate!"

Grievous decided enough was enough. He emerged from the shadows of the night. With clanking footsteps, he walked up to the podium where Roma was standing. The cyborg pushed past her and confronted the throng of unhappy citizens.

They immediately fell silent as soon as they saw his form. A curtain of fear swept over them. The crowd did not expect to see him actually come before them. They had only expected to have the ginger haired Separatist dog to talk to them.

"You have no choice, you vermin," Grievous decreed. "No matter what, you must accept the reality that you are all under new management. I have conquered this planet and that means I have brought you under Confederate rule. Rebel if you want, Borealians… If you choose to do that, I will crush any pitiful insurrection you will muster. If you value your lives, you will bend to the whim of Governess Merrik whom I have been entrusted to help set up a new government. And consider yourselves all extremely lucky because if the fate of this planet was completely under my dominion, things would be far different than what Merrik has in store. Consider her presence as heaven sent."

The drained faces made a gloomy return. Roma pitied them and silently prayed they wouldn't try to free themselves. She did not wish to see thousands of freedom fighters given public executions.

"Go back to your dwellings in Tyrin City," he resumed. "I have seen enough of your faces already." He lowered his voice and turned to Roma. "I have broken them for you. Now they will be more welcoming to your presence."

"General," she feared she was about to regret what she wanted to say, "was that really relevant?"

"Yes, it is… If I didn't step in, you'd be lynched. Ruthlessness, Governess… If you are a leader, you must have a tinge of that quality when you are to bring order. Remember that. And no need to thank me. I am retiring to my quarters early and I will speak more with you tomorrow morning."

Before she could say goodnight, he was already walking away from her. Sighing, Roma ran her fingers through her hair and walked back to her shuttle to retire to her quarters as well.

(An hour later.)

"What's the important matter?" Celia pestered Grievous. "Why won't you tell me? It's a secret! I knew it!"

"It's inevitable, Celia," he replied. "I'll give you three guesses."

"Do I get my own lightsaber?"

"No."

"Did you get me a pet birdy?"

"Think harder. I will get you something."

"Um… Oh, I know what it is! You're going to get me a starfighter!"

"Never."

They stepped onto the _Invisible Hand's_ empty control bridge. There were no droids posted at the monitors and Captain Dofine wasn't lounging in his chair, awaiting further orders.

"The control bridge?" she wrinkled her nose. "This isn't fun!"

Grievous headed toward a control console. He pressed a button and activated a hologram projector. There were a few more buttons touched and he got access to what exactly he was looking for.

"I've done some research while you were sleeping," he said. "I've located some adoption agencies that have profiles on individuals who are filing to adopt a child."

"You talk too much grown up, Grievous!" she complained.

"We're going to look for families for you. The reason why I took you with me is because I want you to choose who you want to live with. But I will provide the final confirmation however."

"Oh, okay…"

He sat down in Dofine's chair. Celia looked at him.

"What?" he asked impatiently.

"There's no other chairs," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. Celia smiled. "Can I sit with you?"

Grievous' first and immediate reaction would've been 'no'. But he didn't want her to sit on the ground. Unhappily, he lifted her up and placed her on his knee.

"Your knee hurts my butt!" Celia whined. She scooted up and sat down in his lap. "That's better."

He wanted to throw her off like she was leech. Yet he didn't. She just didn't deserve to be tossed aside in that way.

"Fine, whatever," he sighed. "Let's just try to figure out a few possible candidates to adopt you." Grievous accessed a monstrous list of people who were willing to adopt. His eyes widened in amazement at its length: there were easily over a thousand people. "Alright then… Let's make things easier for the both of us: what kind of family do you want to live with?"

"Um, someone who will love me and play with me," she said.

"That doesn't help at all, Celia. What I mean is: do you want a particular species to adopt you? I'm sure you want Human parents considering you are one."

"Yes, please."

"Wonderful. There's Humans all over this galaxy so it shouldn't be too difficult to find what you need."

He accessed a filtering feature the list had and singled out the Human individuals and couples who wanted to adopt. The size of the list decreased a little bit but there were so many entries and profiles he could access. And to top it off, there were countless other adoption agencies he could browse. Grievous realized he could spend a lifetime doing this if he actually had the time and patience.

"Well…" he said slowly. "You're going to be up for quite some time."

"That's a big list!" Celia stated the obvious. "It's going to take forever! I'll never find a family now…"

"Don't start with the tears. I will not stand for it. I promise you that through some way, I will find a family for you. I took you into my care and I will not cease the search until I am sure I find someone who will ably care for you. I'm not going to let you get raised by vagabonds and vagrants."

"What's a 'vagabond'?"

"Scum of the galaxy. Petty criminals, Jedi…"

"Jedi? The Jedi won't take me because I don't have the Force. My Mommy told me that when I was born, I got blood take to check to see if I had the Force. I don't."

"Thank stars. You deserve a much better existence than that. Now let's go on with this search."

He picked a random profile out from the list. A picture of the person popped up and they were Human of course. It was a Human couple who appeared to be in their forties. There were some stats on them such as: homeworld, income, occupation and what type of children they would preferably adopt.

"Who are those people?" Celia asked. "I can't read very well so can you tell me what it says?"

"It looks like these people live on a planet that is already within the CIS," said Grievous, reading the stats. "They're from Raxus. Their income seems to be fairly stable and the man is a mechanic…" He paused when he saw the next bit of information. "This won't work for you."

"Why? They seem nice."

He didn't want to tell her the truth because in the profile it was stated specifically that they wanted to adopt Separatist orphans. Celia was a Republic orphan. Grievous could theoretically pass her off as a Separatist child but he didn't doubt that her Republic roots would not adapt well to a household with such a contrasting political atmosphere.

"They're too poor," the cyborg lied. "You don't want a poor family because you'll go hungry and everyone will tread on you."

"My family wasn't rich though," she said.

"You might not have been rich I'm sure you weren't poor either. You lived in a comfortable middle class setting. I'll settle for middle class or above for you."

"Okay…"

He left the profile and picked something else from the list. Celia shifted in his lap and moved closer to him. She placed the side of her head against his chest and shut her eyes for a few moments. Grievous watched as a smile appeared on her face.

This hadn't happened to him in nearly three years. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he found himself liking this. For a moment, he thought he was back on Kalee, holding one of his own. Happy and warm feelings of tenderness pierced through his icy heart and he felt the urge to stroke the crown of her head. Celia reminded him too much of the children he had left behind on Kalee.

Just then, an overwhelming surge of guilt and sadness engulfed his very soul. It never occurred to him until at that very moment how much he missed them. He hadn't spoken to or seen his family in so long. Grievous had no clue of their situation or whereabouts. There were times when he attempted to contact him but they were very infrequent: and he never could get a hold of them. At the back of his mind, he suspected Count Dooku had a hand in this. He never could confirm whether the Sith had blocked communication to his home but he merely wondered. The Count did want him to focus on the war and only the war. The half-droid was almost positive that was the case. Dooku was always meddling in his affairs anyway…

"Celia," he awoke her reality, "there's another profile."

Her blue eyes flashed open and she turned her attention to the screen. There, she saw a Human female. She appeared to be in her thirties this time.

"Who's she?" said Celia.

"Her name is Tayra Starfire," Grievous read. "She's from another Confederate holding: Concordia. Her income is good. Huh, exceptionally well actually."

When he discovered what her occupation was, he had to double take. Honestly, he couldn't believe that this person was actually filing for adoption with the job that she wielded: prostitution. Upon further reading, Grievous saw that Tayra wasn't picky with a certain type of child at all.

"Of course!" he pouted loudly. "This would've been a good candidate but she's got to be disregarded… And they actually let this woman get into the system? I guess it's legal on Concordia."

"What's wrong with her?" Celia narrowed her eyes at the picture of the woman. "She looks like a nice, friendly lady."

"Yes, a very friendly woman indeed. Trust me, you will regret living there. You'll have a new Daddy every day."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll learn about it when you get older."

"Why can't you tell me now? I can understand!"

"It's not a matter of understanding, it's a matter of age appropriateness. You're not going to live with a prostitute. I'd rather let you live amongst those walking balls of fuzz that inhabit Endor's forest moon."

"What's a 'prostitute'?"

"I'm not going to answer that question. Moving on now."

"Can I ask one question, please? It's not the one I tried to ask earlier. It's something else. I asked you it a few days earlier but you ignored me."

"Did I have good reason to ignore it?"

"I don't know. But, here it is: do you have a family?"

Despite the feelings he felt a few moments earlier, Grievous did not want to talk about it at the time being. Just thinking about them anymore was painful. He couldn't stop thinking about them every single time Celia was by his side. However, he didn't want to brush off her question since he saw it was rude (and then he wondered, when did I care about other people's feelings?).

"Yes, I do," he said softly. "They're on my homeworld, Kalee."

"Aww, that's nice!" Celia was smiling and she seemed interested in the topic. "Who's in your family?"

"I have ten wives and thirty children."

"WHAT?"

Grievous actually laughed at her reaction. Celia appeared to be shocked out of her mind. The expression on her face amused him immensely. If he didn't have a mask on and possessed the lower half of his face, there would've been a grin.

"That's not true!" she shook her head. "That's impossible!"

"That's the way things are on my planet," he asserted. "One male marries multiple times."

"I didn't know you were a daddy…" Her astonishment disappeared and her naturally beautiful smile returned. "That's cool. Do you ever see them or talk to them?"

His heart fell once more.

"I haven't talked to them in a very long time," there was a hint of sadness in his deep voice.

"That stinks," Celia said and patted his leg. "But don't worry, I'm sure you'll hear or see them again! As long as you love them, you'll be okay!"

(Two hours later…)

The Kaleesh cyborg was quite bored by the humdrum and mind numbing task of accessing a profile, scanning stats to make sure they fit his standards and moving along. His eyes hurt from looking at the screen for too long and he was starting to develop a pounding headache. The search was only two hours but to him, it felt like twenty. To make matters worse, he deemed it fruitless and wasteful. Many of them looked promising but Grievous just didn't believed that they could qualify for taking Celia in.

She was equally bored. Celia often slouched, sighed heavily and her eyes became increasingly heavy. He had to wake her up at least three times. A few times, she even asked him to stop because she was tired of it and she wanted to go to bed. The General ignored her pleas, preferring to get as much done as he could.

"I can't take this anymore."

Grievous groaned and clutched his aching skull. He was not accustomed to stare at bright holograms for a long period of time. His patience level for that kind of thing wasn't very long either. This was the very first time trying the search and he hated it. More than anything else, he wanted to retreat to his quarters and be alone with his thoughts.

"Celia, we're finished with this." Temporarily, he forgot she was in his lap. "Now, you can go to sleep."

Celia was unresponsive and fast asleep. She was snuggled up against him and one of her hands was resting on his stomach plate. Even in her sleep, she wore a tiny smile.

"Wake up."

The little girl was lost in her pleasant dreams. He poked her in her ribs to wake her up but this failed. Celia stirred a little bit and exhaled in contentment.

"You little brat. You're going to make me carry you."

He gently wrapped his arms around her and stood up onto his taloned feet. Grievous felt awkward the way he was holding her since he hadn't done such a thing in so long. He noted how peaceful and helpless she looked as she slept. Her safety laid entirely in his claws: and the cyborg was going to make sure she would remain secure.

He exited the control bridge with the intention to take her to her quarters. Grievous was entirely aware he no longer had a body made of flesh and bone so he tried to make her as comfortable as he could in his inorganic arms. His golden eyes studied her as he walked along, envying the peace and bliss she must be feeling. He yearned to sleep just like her again. Once again, she reminded him too much of Kalla. In fact, he figured that if Celia was ever a Kaleesh, he would be certain she was Kalla's identical twin sister.

"This is a strange child," he thought to himself. "She softens my heart when I look at her. She is so innocent, kind, pure, careless, naïve… I hate many things but I cannot hate or push her away." The warlord couldn't believe he was actually thinking these things. "For someone as wonderful as she, she deserves a good family… And I will do that for her in some way or another."

Without any events or encounters with wandering battle droids or any other unwanted attention, he made it to her room. The door swept open and Grievous approached her bed. Gingerly, he placed her down, careful not to wake her up. As soon as he laid her down, Celia stirred but didn't wake. He grabbed her "blanket" from the foot of her bed and draped it over her tiny form. Then he tucked her in, making sure she wouldn't catch a chill.

Taking a step back, he noticed her locket that was sitting on a table beside the bed. Grievous pressed the button on its side and the same blue hologram popped up. The same soothing melody wafted as the gears turned.

Satisfied with the condition of her room, he tried to walk out as silently as his metallic feet would allow him to. The door closed softly behind him and he sighed heavily.

"Why? Why me? Why does she have to be stuck with a monster like me?"


	13. Chapter 13 Descent

**Hello everyone! :) Thank you for your previous reviews. I especially want to thank** Charlie B Barkin **and **the dude person** for pointing out and critquing certain little faults in my story. I am glad you had said something especially in a supportive and constructive way (thank God they weren't flames!) and I know now to be more careful in writing my fics. So thank you guys! :) I had fun writing this chapter and it actually was going to be much longer but I wanted to cut it down a little so it wouldn't be 16pgs long. Chapter 14 will be where all the action really starts. Sorry! Anyway, please R&R and enjoy the update! :) **

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 13 Descent

(Borealia – the next day: early evening)

"Governess Merrik, I suppose you know what kind of government you wish to instill?"

Roma jumped when she heard Grievous' voice. She quickly recovered and faced the infamous droid commander.

"Yes, I do have some idea," she said. "What do you think about a democracy, General?"

"A democracy?" Grievous began to pace. "Well, I believe it is much more suiting than a monarchy. The people should certainly have a hand and say in their government. What made you choose that?"

"Because I don't believe a monarchy works. That's unusual for me to say considering I'm from a planet where there is a monarchy. My cousin Tal was a prince."

"Well luckily for you, I already took care of that. Maybe it was good that they decided to fight back and I was forced to kill them."

She shook her head in disapproval.

"It was an unfortunate incident," she brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "They should've surrendered peacefully but at the same time I can understand why they decided to regain their planet. I pity their deaths but what could be done?"

"They were stupid," Grievous said bitterly. "They didn't have an ounce of reason in their skulls. Besides, it's always nice to kill a Republic sympathizer when I have the chance."

Roma tried to ignore him but found it hard to do so. All he did was talk about killing, oppressing enemies, merciless galactic conquest and how much he hated the Jedi. Normally, she couldn't be around such a heavily negative soul because it made her feel depressed but she didn't have a choice. She was determined to prove Dooku her worth and successfully set up a loyal regime on Borealia. She kept on reminding herself she would acclimate herself to the General's ramblings and violent tendencies. Not only that, she began to take a liking to Celia, the only light amongst the darkness on the planet.

"I see it is appropriate to go amongst the people as one of them to show them we are not so different," Roma stated. "Besides, if I want to set up a government that everyone will like, there will be more happiness and less rebellion."

"You're insane," he sneered as he narrowed his gold eyes. "I was given orders by Dooku to establish a new government for this place and that does include making sure the governess is not killed by homeless rebels. You cannot fraternize with them. They will kill you because you are a Separatist."

"With all due respect, General Grievous, I was given the task to establish a successful government at all costs. I do not mean to question your authority at all, sir. I will confront them with peace and show them I mean no harm."

"You better take a gun with you."

"I will not. I plan on going out into Tyrin City tomorrow or the following day and interact with the natives."

Grievous scoffed and approached the table she sat at. Intentionally, he stood very close to Roma to make her feel very uncomfortable and startled. That happened to work very well too despite the fact she tried to hide it beneath a stoic face. The cyborg looked directly into her eyes.

"Then go on, Governess Merrik," he said maliciously. "Go into that hole and see what happens. It does not matter if you die because there are more politicians out there in the Separtist Congress with a better grasp of common sense than you. They will fill in your shoes and get the job done right. If those Borealians capture you and hold you for ransom, I'm not going to save you. I've warned you fairly and my conscious is clear. So, if you want to go out there and die, then be my guest."

"I… I understand," she stuttered. Roma cursed herself for losing her composure before him. "Perhaps I am a fool. I am not afraid to try though. I'm a person: I have emotions, I have hopes, dreams, fears… And they are all people too. We are all thinking and feeling beings." She built up all of her strength and prepared for death for what she was about to say to him. "You are a person too, General. The proof I see of that is when I saw Celia with you."

(One hour later – Separatist encampment)

"Master Kenobi, I have made it to the CIS encampment," Rax said lowly into the comlink. "There's a bunch of droids patrolling around the perimeter." The Bothan Jedi treaded silently across the earth. "I see a few AATs…"

"Can you immediately tell how many warships there are?" Obi-Wan's voice crackled softly.

"Yes, I can, sir. I see Grievous' flagship and about ten frigates. I suppose he's got quite an army…"

"Hmm. Indeed. We need a fleet that can match that one or at least outnumbers it. Rax, would mind getting a little closer to survey for any other interesting things that we should be on lookout for?"

"Not at all, Master. This is why I volunteered to do this."

With the Force, Rax cloaked himself to the naked eye. Even though no droid or Grievous himself was sensitive to the Force and they couldn't sense him snooping around, that didn't mean he had to be cautious nonetheless. Like a ghost, the Knight crept behind enemy lines.

True, he still planned on spying on the enemy's situation as Obi-Wan asked him but Rax still plotted to go on with the second part of the mission no one else in the galaxy was aware of. Yoda and Obi-Wan had seen him off to his starfighter just as he was about to leave Coruscant and the young man made sure that his feelings were under heavy guard. If either of them suspected him of the pain and fury in his heart, they would make someone else go and he would be denied his chance at vengeance. Besides, he was in the same vicinity where Grievous was: he wasn't going to back down from the opportunity to slay him. Rax was also ready to be expelled from the order if he did succeed in assassinating the cyborg and escaping off Borealia unscathed. All that mattered was that the General would be dead and no longer be considered a threat.

Rax Linn moved along unseen and undetected as he silently weaved past unassuming battle droids. He even directly crossed paths with an AAT without fear. His eyes flitted around, taking as much as he could so he could give Kenobi n accurate report. Hidden in the shadow of the Trade Federation flagship, he spotted a Sheathipede class shuttle. Immediately, he suspected someone of importance was present alongside the General. Personally, he hoped it was Count Dooku himself so he'd have a chance to kill another vital figurehead. His arrogance was almost nauseating if one was reading his thoughts at the moment.

"Master Kenobi," Rax whispered into the comlink, "I think there might be someone here alongside the General. Perhaps it's a member of the Separatist Council. I think we may have more than one rotten egg in this basket."

"Interesting," Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "Be cautious, Rax. I want you back alive."

"Actually, Master Kenobi, I have thought about something. Do you think it would be a good idea to remain hidden here on Borealia and await you and your fleet? Perhaps I can be of use while you try to liberate this planet."

The Human Jedi was slightly startled by the Bothan's request. He blinked and paused for a few seconds before he could muster up words to his throat.

"Rax," he said softly. "You had ulterior motives for coming here, didn't you?"

Linn gritted his teeth and saw that he was cornered. There was a chance to back out of this accusation but he just didn't care anymore.

"Yes," he confessed. "Yes, Master."

"Leave Borealia now," Kenobi ordered. "I forbid you to engage Grievous, especially when you are alone like this. I did not order his assassination!"

"That's because you're afraid. You and the Council members are cowards. While he kills our brothers and sisters, you cower. I'm different: I'm going to step up and do something about this. I do not want anymore Jedi lives taken."

"You bear a grudge because he killed your Master while she was stationed there. You want to avenge her."

"Yes… That's true as well. I loved her more than anything. Giza Tengu was like the mother I never had. That beast killed her and I'm going to make him suffer as much as I had in my heart. I have done exactly as you wanted, Master Kenobi. Your reconnaissance mission is done: my assassination mission is next."

"Do not do this! You will be killed!"

"I swore that after I'd be granted Knighthood, I promised myself that I'd set out to confront Grievous sooner or later. I will keep that promise and I will avenge my Master. I am doing the Order and the whole Republic a favor: I'm going to try to save everyone, even if I am required to give my own life up in killing him. I am not afraid. I will contact you as soon as I have finished the deed. If I don't, then you can correctly assume that I've been killed… Goodbye, Master Kenobi. May the Force be with you."

"Rax Linn..!"

Before Obi-Wan could further dissuade him and voice his disapproval, Rax dropped the comlink to the ground. He stomped on it and he was instantly severed of any help from his brethren and his home faction. Rax grabbed his hilt that hung around his belt and walked silently over to the _Invisible Hand's_ bay door.

(Twenty minutes later – The General's Quarters)

"Watcha doing?"

Roma glanced over to her right, seeing Celia standing a few feet away. Her hands were folded behind her back.

"Oh, I'm trying to write up a constitution for the planet," Roma explained. "It's big people stuff, little one."

"I can't read," said Celia. "I'm bored. Where'd Grievous go?"

Governess Merrik put down the stylus she was writing with and turned to her direction. She was smiling warmly at the child.

"You like him a lot don't you?" she asked.

"He's so cool, strong, funny and sometimes he's nice," Celia gushed. "He's my friend! He saved me when a bad droid tried to kill me. Grievous is trying to help me find a family… But it's not fun and it's boring. He didn't like anything we looked at too."

"Celia, I would be more than happy to take you in but I can't. I think I'm too young to have a family. Not only that, I have to work a lot with my job." She didn't want to tell her this but she didn't want to keep Celia hopes up about her becoming her adopted mother. "I hope you understand that, sweetie."

"It's okay," said Celia. "I don't want you to be my new mommy anyway."

The young woman laughed.

"No, I understand," she said. "I'm not mad at you."

"I don't want Grievous to look for a family for me…"

"Why not? Don't you want to have a happy life? I'm sure you don't want to live on this ship for the rest of your life. I'd go mad."

"I can't tell you why. I'm afraid..."

"You can tell me anything. I'm your friend, Celia. What's so scary about telling me something?"

"Because Grievous will be mad at me. I don't want him to be mad at me. I'm scared of him when he gets angry…"

"You don't need to tell him. I can keep a secret very well. Can you trust me?"

The two Human females halted their conversation when they heard the elevator door open up. Roma looked over her shoulder to see who was there. The door was fully open and there wasn't anyone exiting the elevator. Her gray eyes narrowed in curiosity and she got up from her seat at the table.

"Is there a ghost in the elevator?" Celia poked her head out from Roma's side.

"It's nothing to worry about," said the Governess. "It's probably just a malfunction, that's all."

"Not at all…"

Their hearts nearly jumped out of their chests when they heard this unfamiliar and unexpected voice. Before their very eyes, a blue light appeared out of thin air after they heard a brief hiss. Celia latched onto Roma. The woman placed a hand on her head protectively and tried to appear as brave as she could. Rax uncloaked himself and made himself visible before the two of them.

"A politician," said Rax. "I guess that explains who owns the shuttle."

"Who are you and what do you want, Jedi?" Roma demanded.

"My name is not important to the likes of you." He looked at a frightened Celia who stood so closely by her side. "How precious, two helpless Separatists. If you cooperate, I will spare your lives."

"What kind of peaceful Jedi are you? Are you perhaps one of those dreadful rogues?"

"You can say so, yes. But I prefer to be called a hero. Where is General Grievous at? I have business to take care of with him."

"You mean to kill him. I'm sorry but I don't know. He walked out of this room a little while ago. Even if I did have some knowledge of his whereabouts, I would never disclose them to you. I am not a traitor and I am loyal to the Confederacy."

"That's a pity. I do not want to be forced to kill you and the girl because you refuse to comply. You must understand that he must die. Even though you are on the same faction, can you not see his evil?"

"You cannot convince me to betray the General. I am no admirer of his but we are still a team nonetheless."

He pointed his blade at her. Roma gasped and her serene expression began to crack. Celia began to tear.

"I am giving you one last warning, Separatist scum," Linn threatened. "Where is the General?"

"I don't know," Merrik repeated. "And I never will tell."

A second after she said the last sentence, Rax stabbed her through her stomach. Celia screamed in horror. He withdrew the blade from her body, leaving a cauterized hole in her. Roma gasped and fell to her knees. Her body teetered on her kneecaps for a few moments before she lost her strength and collapsed onto her side. Celia instinctively stayed close to the dying lady.

"Don't die!" Celia wept. "Please, get up!"

An evil and almost possessed look was in the Jedi's eyes. He grabbed Celia by her auburn hair and hoisted her up onto her feet. The child wailed in fear and tried to break free from his hand. Dying, Roma placed her hand on Rax's boot.

"Please…" she said almost inaudibly. "Spare her. She is… innocent."

"Let go of my hair!" Celia pleaded. "I don't want to die!"

"Release the girl, now!"

The loud and roaring voice sounded like thunder. Temporarily, Rax was taken aback and startled by the voice but he recovered when he realized whose it was. An evil smile graced his face.

"Finally," he said with malice.

Curtly, he dropped Celia onto the ground with a thud. The five year old yelped and crawled on her hands and knees to Roma's side. The Governess wrapped her arm around Celia as she sat next to her figure.

"It'll be alright," she assured Celia. "Don't be scared anymore."

Slowly, Rax walked over to the raised platform where Grievous stood. There was no fear in his heart: only hatred, sorrow and vengeance. He twirled his blue lightsaber around in his hand, savoring the moment when he'd sever his head from his inorganic shoulders.

"General Grievous," Rax Linn addressed, "at last we meet."

"What are you doing here, you scum?" Grievous said cruelly and bluntly.

"I think you have a very good idea. Does this surprise you?"

"What? Seeing a Jedi try to kill a little girl? Not at all, considering I've seen it happen all the time on my homeworld."

"I have travelled all the way from Coruscant to kill you. I do not intend to let this plan spoil in the least bit. For me, this is a very personal quest. Not too long ago, you conquered this planet but in order to do so, you needed to duel a Jedi by the name of Giza Tengu. She was a Twi'lek. Surely, you recall her."

"I have her blade in my cloak as we speak, Jedi. I must say her ferocity was noble and memorable but in the end, she was just another dead Jedi. All it took was a slash across her back to incapacitate her and a kick to the back of her head to end her life."

"You bastard… I am going to take her blade back to Coruscant alongside your mask and heart when I present them to the Jedi Council."

Grievous pressed the clasp that held his cloak together on his broad shoulders. He grabbed two lightsabers within the cloak before it could fall to his talons on the floor. Then he leapt from the platform, disregarding the stairs that assured an easier way down.

Rax held his ground and raised his blade up in a defensive position. Quietly, he watched as the cyborg activated the two hilts he held in his claws: one of them being Giza's.

"You will not succeed for I too have a very personal vendetta against the Jedi as I'm sure you know," said Grievous. "All I want from your defeat is your weapon so that it may join your Master's. I expect a worthy challenge from someone who boasts so much and has such a heavy heart. I think my skills have become craven since I fought the one you call Giza."

"I am more than prepared," the Jedi smirked. "Why do you think I took up the task? I will disorient you and slice your ugly head clean off before you even realize where I am."

"Then do not hold back, Knight. I am always looking forward to such a challenge."

"There will only be one who will live. It will be me. But even if you do kill me by some freak chance, I will take you with me…"

Rax sheathed his lightsaber and focused, channeling the Force through and around him. His eyes shut and he made the fires of pain in his heart die down so he could concentrate. Within a few moments, he dissolved into thin air.

Grievous blinked, wondering what exactly had just happened. He clutched his hilts tighter in his clawed hands. He couldn't see him but he was more than ready to solely rely on his hearing to help win this battle.

"I give you credit," he said to Rax. "I've never fought an opponent who can cloak themselves with the Force. I do not need my eyes to fight you. You will be sorely mistaken if you think you can kill me this easily."


	14. Chapter 14 Deathly Dance

**Yes... It has been forever since I updated this story and I apologize. College has been crazy for me and I've been spending a little more time with another fic of mine. Not only that, I actually had a hard time writing this chapter... It was a lot harder to write than I originally anticipated so sorry for the long wait! I wasn't entirely pleased with how this turned out but I hope you'll all enjoy it. Please R&R and enjoy the update! :)**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 14 Deathly Dance

"Grievous, he stabbed Roma!"

"Stay right where you are and don't leave her side, Celia. You'll be safe there."

Roma stroked Celia's hand in a comforting and motherly manner. Her soul was seeping from the hole in her abdomen but the Governess struggled to hold on for as long as she could to give emotional support to the child. She fought with all her might to keep her eyes open.

"He's right…" she whispered almost silently. "Stay with me. It'll be alright…"

"Don't die!" Celia sniffled. "Hold on…"

"Jedi scum," Grievous growled. "You cannot hide forever with this sorcery. Honestly, what good do you think it will do for you?"

Rax didn't reply. He couldn't afford to break his concentration and let himself become visible before the General. The Jedi was already having enough trouble trying to restrain his fury and sorrow so he could have a clear mind. Silently, he crept closer to Grievous.

Grievous' patience was nearly nonexistent. He clutched the two lightsabers in his hands tightly. All he wanted to do was slice this coward's face off with his blades and just get it done and over with. The pressure of this frustration increased especially when he saw Roma lying on the ground dying. He couldn't call for droids to come in and try to retrieve her and Celia.

He was shaken from his thoughts when he heard a lightsaber activate behind him. Thinking quickly, he spun around and locked blades with Rax . All that was before him was a lightsaber that seemingly hovered and moved on its own accord but he knew the Jedi was there.

"Honestly," said Grievous, "do you really think you can live through this?"

With a yell of determination and power, Rax rematerialized right before him. His hand was outstretched and he threw Grievous back with a rage-filled Force push. The Kaleesh cyborg was thrown back violently but he managed to land professionally on his magnetized talons. He found himself standing right by Celia and Roma.

"Will you protect us?" Celia asked.

"Just as long as you stay there, you will be fine," he answered. "Give me a few moments and I will be with you very shortly." He glanced down at Roma who was looking up at him weakly. "There will be justice for you, Governess. Until then, fight death."

When he looked up, the Knight was gone again. Grievous growled irately. He spun around his two blades like buzzsaws in an effort to see if this would incite some sort of reaction from his opponent. When he didn't see a random blue aura of light appear out of nowhere, he stopped since the buzzing of his blades might be causing interference and allow Rax to sneak up on him and plunge his sword through his back.

Although Grievous couldn't wield the Force, at times, Dooku instructed him as if he was actually a student of it. Often, he ignored the things the elderly Sith told him since all he wanted to focus on was lightsaber combat. Now, he kind of wished he should've heeded the Count's advice and wisdom more.

"_Do not rely on your eyes. They can deceive you and make you see things that are not truly there. Your vision is the sense with the greatest likelihood to be tricked._"

"Really, old man?" Grievous bitterly thought. "He is invisible to the naked eye. If I had the Force, I could root him out and be finished with this foolishness already. I have to wait for this weasel to strike me."

"_Because you do not have the blessing of being touched by the Force, you must reach out in other ways to see if this is real or not. Forget your eyes as I have said. You also cannot smell anymore because of that mask. Taste is pointless too._"

The memory of one of the lessons he had with Dooku played back in his mind like a misty morning. It was one of the first ones he had engaged in that had occurred sometime before the Clone Wars sparked on Geonosis. Grievous recalled that he was in the dark and enclosed catacombs. He remembered Dooku was standing right next to him. The Sith apprentice was holding a lamp in his hand and that tiny light parted the shadowy corridors they walked down.

"_I take it that my warrior instincts and training will make up for the senses I cannot trust or use, Count?_"

"_Precisely. But you've also forgotten another sense. You're using it now as we speak._"

"_Hearing._"

"Hearing," he whispered gently.

Rax struck again. Grievous ducked to the ground when he saw the blade swipe at his head. Instinctively, he lashed a clawed foot out and he knew he struck the invisible assailant when the Jedi howled in pain. He lost concentration of his cloaking capabilities and became visible.

"I see you!" Grievous lunged for him.

Rax's eyes widened and he gasped. He leapt up into the air before the blades could cleanly slice him in half at the waist. Then he extended his hand, calling upon the Force. Grievous braced himself and the Force push bounced off harmlessly. The cyborg only skidded a few inches across the floor. The Jedi landed on the table and raised a chair with the Force, tossing it at the General. Grievous cut the chair up into pieces as it flew towards him, falling to his side.

"Your Force tricks cannot and will not save you!"

Shutting his eyes tightly, Rax cloaked himself for the third time. Grievous jumped up onto the table and dashed across it, spinning the two blades in his hands. He was disappointed to discover he didn't hack up his opponent whom he hoped was still on the table.

His eyes could not see through the illusions conjured with the Force. Perhaps his hearing could unveil the truth and help him emerge victorious.

"_Trust your instincts and hearing. But be aware that even this can make you falter. Your judgment must be steadfast and accurate._"

"_Well, Count, how will I know what really is truth and what isn't? Do not speak to me in riddles…_"

_Dooku wore a malevolent smirk._

"_You will just have to find out, yourself, Grievous. I can be no more blunt._"

_The lamp's light suddenly flickered out and the two of them were plunged into the choking and oppressive darkness._

Grievous stood his ground and listened. He temporarily set aside his blind fury in order to calm himself down. Before he could do that, Rax launched another attack.

The Jedi attempted to strike from behind but he activated his lightsaber too early, giving away his position and foiling an attempt to land a serious blow. When their blades clashed, it sounded like thunder. The swords locked and they were staring into each other's eyes, searching for fleeting signs of weakness in them.

"Coward," said Grievous. "Your swordsmanship must certainly be lacking if you are using the Force so much in this duel. I think you are very ill prepared."

Rax couldn't say anything. He could slowly feel the Dark Side swell up in him. His calmness cracker further as long as he was in the half droid's presence. The Jedi way almost meant nothing to him now. All that mattered was that he had to kill Grievous. He would gladly give in to his hatred and the power of the Dark Side to achieve that goal as long as his desperation tightened its grip on him.

"You will die..!" Rax growled through gritted teeth. "I must have my revenge!"

Grievous noticed a wickedness in the Knight's eyes that he had seen before within Dooku and his Acolytes. There was an almost possessed look to them. He began to realize that Rax was taking his first steps into the Dark Side of the Force.

"Your anger and your lust for revenge have finally gotten the better of you," said the mechanical warrior. "Even with the power of the Dark Side, you cannot beat me. It doesn't matter what spectrum of the Force you follow."

"It doesn't matter to me what I have to use to utterly obliterate you," the Jedi said hollowly. "If I was required to kill you with a stylus, I would do it without hesitation."

"What are you waiting for?"

Rax screamed at the top of his lungs and abandoned his shadowy and backstabbing approach. The tainted Jedi attacked like a rabid gundark. Grievous temporarily remained on the defensive, knowing that this opponent couldn't keep up a strenuous and rage-filled assault like this forever. With a two handed grip, the Bothan slammed his blade up against Grievous' weapons. His blows were emotion-laden and quite harsh for someone of his newly acquired caliber. At that point, the General knew his opponent had given himself up to the Dark Side.

Celia watched the whole fight as Roma held her hand. The flashes produced by the twirling blades made her feel panicky again and they reminded her of the explosion above her house. Whenever she felt a miniature attacks set on, the Governess squeezed her hand a little harder. But she couldn't tear her little eyes away from the fight: she had to watch her friend win.

"Go, Grievous!" she cheered. "I believe in you!"

Roma smiled faintly, amused by her words of enthusiasm and encouragement. Her breathing became increasingly laborious with each second that went by. Her vision started to fade and blur. Somehow, she felt as if her brain was becoming lax. The Human woman knew Death was extending its hand out to her.

"Celia…" Roma's voice was hoarse and light.

"Don't die," the child pleaded. "Please, don't die! The doctor will save you!"

"I can't hold on anymore, little one… I'm surprised I even hung on this long to be honest. I wish you luck in finding a family, Celia… I know you'll find one sooner or later. Until then, you have to promise to be on your best behavior for Grievous. He'll treat you well if you listen to him. But I'm sure you know that already…"

"Please don't go!"

"I… I will try to hold on for… As long as I can…"

"You have to live to see Grievous win!"

Grievous was losing his patience with Rax's attack. He wanted this to be done with. The cyborg batted the Jedi's blade to the side before he could strike him again. With his other lightsaber, Grievous swung at his head to decapitate his foe.

Thinking quickly, Rax ducked and performed a back flip to place some distance between him and the General. His chest heaved and he could feel beads of sweat beginning to mat his fur. His arms burned from the extensive exertion and power of his blows. True, they were strong but they weren't enough to break his rival's defenses.

"Well, I think any fury that you've had seems to have been expended," taunted Grievous. "Looks like you blew your chance."

"I'm not finished until you're dead," Rax stated with venom in his voice.

Once more, he dissolved before the General's eyes.

_Grievous couldn't find anything in the dank darkness. There weren't any torches lined on the walls of the catacombs. He knew Dooku was close but he didn't know where. In the dark, his fingers fumbled for the blade around his waist._

_Before he could grab it, he heard a lightsaber ignite. A second later, he could hear its tip graze the armor on his back. Furious, he turned around to face Dooku only to see nothing. The Count sheathed his blade before his student could detect him._

"_Concentrate, Grievous. You will make no progress if you don't do as I tell you._"

"_Stop toying with me, old man! Fight me like a real soldier!_"

_He could hear Dooku come toward him ever so silently. Grievous drew the lightsaber and spun around, blocking the attack before his master could slash his back again. The Sith lord had an amused and proud expression that the cyborg noticed amongst the glow of the blue and red blades._

"_That's more like it, my friend._"

He could hear Rax running towards him: it was ever so slight but he knew exactly where he was. Grievous sheathed one of his blades and kept out Giza's. He was going to prove to this Jedi he didn't need to fight with two in order to get an advantage.

The Jedi came to a screeching halt when he saw that Grievous knew where he was. His concentration broke and he reappeared. Their blades locked again.

"Come on!" Rax mumbled.

Both of them had a two handed grip on their hilts. Now it became a battle of physical strength. Not even ten seconds passed and it was obvious to see who the victor of this bout was going to be. Rax pushed back with every bit ounce of strength his muscles could muster. His ligaments and tendons screamed in agony. Even with the Force, he felt that he could not overwhelm his massive foe.

Grievous pushed back steadily, knowing his size was a significant advantage. His eyes narrowed, overjoyed to see that the duel was nearing its ultimate conclusion.

"You are doomed," he said matter-of-factly.

Rax tried to back off to save himself but it was too late. Grievous raised his lightsaber and cleanly sliced off the Jedi's sword hand. Rax Linn wailed in pain as his hand fell to the floor, still clutching his weapon. The half droid then grabbed the Bothan by his neck and slammed him to the ground. His clawed hand was still around his neck, asphyxiating him.

"You fight for your master," said Grievous. "I fight for my planet. My might and determination cannot be outmatched."

With his remaining hand, Rax called his lightsaber to his hand. Out of the corner of his eye, Grievous saw what he was doing. He raised up his opponent again and threw him across the room. His light frame was easily cast up the stairs to the raised platform and he crashed into the wall with a sickening smack.

A second after throwing him, Grievous hastily snatched up Rax's lightsaber. Like a spear, he held it at its hilt for a few moments, aiming. He squinted one of his eyes and decided it was good enough.

As if he was hunting back on Kalee, he threw the lightsaber, pretending it was a spear. The weapon sliced through the air and was most accurately guided. It struck exactly where its new master guided it to: Rax's heart.

Rax Linn was sitting on the floor with his back up against the cold metal wall. The lightsaber in his chest pinned him against it for the remainder of his physical life. In anger and woe, he watched as his killer walked up the stairs and stood above him, watching him die.

His eyes didn't shut but the last things Rax saw were Grievous' golden eyes.

"A good Jedi is a dead Jedi," he said to himself, pleased with Rax Linn's death.

Grievous took the blade out of his victim's chest and Rax's corpse fell over onto its side. Like a piece of dirt, he disregarded it and placed his new trophy around his waist.

"Roma!"

He was sharply reminded of the spectators when he heard Celia's tearful pleas. Like a swift gale, Grievous jumped over the stairs and joined them by their side.

"Let me see her, Celia," he ordered.

The girl moved out of the way, giving Grievous some space. He looked at Roma, seeing that her eyes were barely open. Careful not to hurt her anymore, he slipped his hand behind her head. The young politician softly grabbed his other hand. He didn't care since he knew she was doomed.

"Consider yourself avenged, Governess," he said.

"Huh, count on the great General Grievous to be a mighty avenger," she laughed in good jest. "I see why Dooku gave you the power you wield now. Thank you for putting on that show. I have finally conceived a full blown admiration for you."

"It's a pity you must be decommissioned so early. You didn't even begin your term as Governess. I will take care of the little one now: rest in peace, Roma Merrik."

"It has been a great pleasure to have been acquainted with you… Tell Dooku that I am not mad at you for not coming a few seconds earlier…"

Both Grievous and Celia watched in silence as her gray eyes shut forever. Her final breath was expelled from her chest and her body went limp.


	15. Chapter 15 A Choice of the Heart

**Holy crap, this is unacceptable: a month late. I apologize! I have been obsessed with getting one of my other fics finished and I temporarily went on haitus with this story for that reason. I will try to avoid another month long wait for this story for as long as I can. A reader of this story **galaxypa **has done concept work for Celia (Thanks again! :D) and I posted the link on my profile if anyone's interested in seeing it. ****Thanks for the last chapter's reviews and I hope you enjoy this update :)**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 15 A Choice of the Heart

(One hour later – Borealia)

"This is completely and absolutely unacceptable!"

Grievous almost flinched at the intensity of Dooku's voice. He would've been scowling heavily if he could. The cyborg averted his gaze from the Sith for a few seconds then turned his full attention back to him. The hologram fizzled and crackled. Dooku was clearly less than pleased by the news his minion had delivered to him.

"You careless and mindless oaf!" Dooku condemned. "I had sent Roma Merrik over to Borealia to set up a government so I could have you move onto other planets I want you to conquer. What do you do? You allowed her to die at the hands of a rogue Jedi. Your incompetence disgusts me."

"She had not died in vain for she has been avenged!" Grievous slammed a fist into the console. "At least I had killed that Jedi!"

"I do not care whether she has been avenged or not! You have failed in your duties to safeguard her and ensure that a Separatist friendly government would be established. I will not stand for your failures that you so carelessly allow to come into fruition."

"This Jedi cloaked himself with the Force! Did you honestly think that I could discover him until there was a hint of his presence? Unfortunately, that hint was a blade plunged through her stomach! It was beyond my power!"

"Regardless, I am still abhorred by this incident. What must I do, send another governor and hope you don't kill them either intentionally or by a freak chance? No politician even wants to be on the same planet as you because of your childish temper tantrums and overtly homicidal tendencies. You must strengthen your focus." He paused. "Is your mind wandering again?"

"No, my head isn't in the clouds! I was just unlucky!"

"Bad luck seems to hound you at every corner, Grievous."

"Do you want some other general to take my place? Do you know anyone else who could equal or prove to be better than I? All the other officers are pitiful excuses for warriors and tacticians. They are soft, peppered and cowardly. You need me to win this war! Without me, you and Lord Sidious would be defeated!"

"Grievous!"

The old man sounded more startled than angry according to the tone and sound of his voice. Grievous smirked inwardly, feeling better for having to have vented his anger out on the Count. There were many times when he wanted to berate and tell him off but often, it was an inappropriate time. Already, he could feel some of his anger burn off by lashing out at him.

"Yes, my lord?" Grievous asked saucily.

"If I was in the same room as you, I'd teach you your place within this galaxy with a blast of lightning," Dooku said lowly. "Your arrogance is stifling. True, Sidious and I do value your prowess but you are not the sole saving grace of this insurrection against the Republic. If you were to die, we could find a substitute, one way or another. Your hubris gets in the way at times of your true goals and you lose because of this. I am abhorred by your attitude at times, you uncivilized brute."

Just as Dooku wanted to zap with him some Force lightning, Grievous wished he could rip his head off his shoulders with his bare hands. He was trying to restrain his fury so he wouldn't end up creating a civil war within a civil war. There were times when he was compelled to break away from the greedy and loathsome mainstream Separatists but he saw it would only cause more trouble. And whether he really wanted to admit it or not, the Sith lords were vital for at least providing political stability: something Grievous knew he had no patience for. He was grateful for Dooku's offer to train him in the Jedi arts but he most certainly hated him on a particular level too.

"Now, I must leave and try to find another governor who will take up Borealia," said the apprentice. "Until then, behave and I will deal with you later when my urge to kill you has ceased."

Before anymore dialogue could be exchanged, Dooku cut the connection. All Grievous could do was stare hatefully at the hologram transmitter.

"Yes, I hate you too," he grumbled. "I will dance on your grave when you finally die, you miserable old fool."

(Coruscant – The Jedi Temple)

Grand Master Yoda shook his head. His three fingered hand massaged his temple and sighed deeply. He felt ashamed, foolish and negligent. At the back of his mind, he was truly doubtful of the young Knight's innermost feelings but he had assumed Rax would have enough internal strength to resist the pull of the Dark Side.

"Troubling, this is," Yoda finally looked at Obi-Wan who had just informed him of the conversation he had with Rax. "Contacted him you did an hour ago?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied solemnly, "I highly doubt if he is alive, Master. He was only a freshly christened Knight."

"My fault this is. Should have looked deeper into his inner chaos I should have."

"Don't blame yourself, Master. Rax was very deceitful and desperate to achieve his mission. He had fooled us both. He had revealed his true intentions as he reported the results of his reconnaissance mission to me. There was nothing I could because he was so far away. I knew his intentions were noble and selfless from a certain point of view but at the same time, I knew he was acting on his baser feelings."

"Regardless, used better judgment I should have. Suspicions I did have but ignored them I did. Good for him I thought this would be. To teach him restrain and follow orders were my intentions…"

"Rax Linn at least did not die in vain, Master Yoda. He gave me a thorough report of the Confederacy's forces on Borealia. I will be making last minute preparations with the fleet I've assembled in I should be leaving Coruscant within two hours or so. Hopefully, Grievous will not be ready for a counter attack… I find it unlikely Rax would tell him that he spied on everything for us."

"Hopeful you are, Master Kenobi?"

The tone of the little green Jedi's voice seemed troubling and grave. Obi-Wan far from not pleased and he was a little startled by the way Yoda said this. He leaned an inch closer to Yoda while he was sitting on his meditation cushion.

"Master, why did you say this?" he questioned. "The way you said that makes me unnerved and get a bad feeling about my mission."

"Escape Grievous will as usual," Yoda revealed. "Foreseen this I have."

"He will not escape. He will taste justice at last: I will make sure of it. Grievous as been free for too long and as long as he runs free like a wild gundark, more will die. This is the perfect trap for him, Master."

"Escape he will."

"Has the Force revealed anything else to you in your vision? When did you have this?"

"Received it I did a few minutes before you walked in to talk to me, Obi-Wan. How Grievous will escape I don't know. Take a starfighter I saw him do and then fled from the battle he did."

Obi-Wan was not deterred by Yoda's brief taste of the future. He shook his head and stood up from his seat on the cushion.

"I will do my best to prevent the future from becoming a reality," the Human Jedi said somberly. "I will not waste this golden opportunity."

"Become like our fallen Knight you must not," Yoda warned. "Desperate times must not be led to desperate measures, Master Kenobi."

"I won't step down to the Dark Side, Master. Thank you for your concern though. I will contact you as soon as I can regarding the situation on Borealia. I must prepare my invasion."

"May the Force be with you."

"As with you, Master."

(Borealia – three hours before dawn)

"What will we tell her family members, General?" a battle droid asked.

"Exactly as I said five minutes earlier," Grievous looked at Roma's body on the medical capsule. "The truth: a rogue Jedi murdered her. Now go."

He didn't bother to watch the droids haul the capsule bearing her corpse onto the shuttle that would take the deceased Governess back to her homeworld. Grievous wondered if it was appropriate to address her family members about her untimely death but he brushed it off, not really caring otherwise if they really got a notification or not. They'd get through the initial shock. Besides, he was in no mood to talk to anyone. The conference he had with Dooku a few hours earlier with Dooku was still fresh in his mind and the cyborg was still stewing over it.

As soon as he boarded his flagship, he was instantly reminded of the child in his charge. For a short amount of time, he had briefly thought about her. After he had killed Rax and had Roma die in his arms, he had to soothe Celia's frayed nerves. Grievous cured her anxiety by sending to her room to cool off alone. There was certainly no hug or reassuring and gentle words to tell her everything was going to be alright. It was forbidden and disgusting.

The elevator doors opened up and he stepped out. He was in the silent sanctity of his lair again. Rax's body was no longer up on the platform since he had ordered a MagnaGuard to dispose of the corpse by throwing it into a ditch on the outskirts of the encampment.

"Peace at last," he said to himself out loud. "I think I deserved this for my victory."

His gold eyes then showed him the truth of this seemingly carefree and serene scene. In his chair, he saw Celia sitting cross legged.

"Hi," she waved.

"What are you doing out of your quarters at this time?" he demanded. "Children like you are supposed to be sleeping at this time!"

"I couldn't sleep."

"I should've known. I know better than to try to get an answer out of you too. Get out of my chair."

Obediently, she moved out of the way. Grievous sat down. Celia looked at him as if she wanted him to do something for her. He found himself becoming annoyed by her presence and mannerisms.

"What?"

"Can I sit with you?"

"No."

"But you let me sit on your lap while you were looking for a family!"

"Sit on the floor."

She parked her butt on the floor. Celia was sitting inches away from his feet. Her eyes studied them and she laughed.

"You have bird feet!"

He rolled his eyes and ignored her observation. His inorganic arms folded across his chest and he clearly seemed irked by her presence. Celia could sense he wasn't in a very happy mood so she set out to try to let some sunshine into his life.

"Are you okay?" she cocked her head to the side.

"I would've liked to have been left alone," he said, trying his hardest from punching a little girl in the face. "But for some reason, you insist on following me like you're my pet."

"I like you!"

"Yes, I can tell. Your admiration is foolish and disturbing at best. Why should a sweet, innocent and naïve child such as you attach to someone like me? I still can't understand why you followed me here even after I told you to stay in your house."

"I didn't want to stay and I wanted to follow you. I don't know!" She laughed. "You're funny, Grievous!"

"And you are the weirdest little girl I have ever met…"

He observed Celia's facial expression change. Her smile slowly melted away and a look of concern and conflict appeared. Celia's eyes focused on the floor and she seemed hesitant to maintain eye contact with him now. Grievous raised a brow, engaged by her shifting mood and behavior. He leaned in.

"What is going on inside your little head right now?" he asked.

"Nothing much," she replied, still refusing to look at him.

"It must be something if you aren't smiling and looking at me. Did you cause trouble in my absence?"

"No…"

Grievous spotted her locket around her neck.

"You didn't lose your locket. There's something else troubling you, Celia Halcyn."

"I can't say it or you'll be mad at me. I don't want that because you scare me."

"It never stopped you before. I haven't smacked you yet either so I think I can take this bit of news you're repressing."

"Will you promise to not be mad at me?"

"Celia, what can it possibly be? What can you do to make me angry besides running around free in the ship without someone watching you?"

At last, she locked gazes with him again.

"Grievous, I don't want you to look for families for me," she said.

"I'm afraid I must," he shook his head. "You can't live here forever. This is not a proper place for a little girl to grow up. "

"I don't want to leave though!"

"You speak nonsense. You're so young and stupid, you have no sense of what's good for you or not."

"I want you to take care of me. I know you're not my real daddy but I want you to be my new one."

Grievous dreaded hearing this. Secretly, he knew and feared it would come down to this and it would only be a matter of time before Celia would make a choice like this. True, he had learned to tolerate her and he did find himself becoming a little partial towards her but he couldn't fulfill her wishes. He pitied her and felt bad for her solely because she wanted him to raise her as his own.

"Celia, I can't," he explained. "I don't even have enough time for my own family. You'll be dead before you know it. I live a very dangerous and violent existence."

"But I want you to take care of me!" Celia pleaded. "Can't you send me to your planet and I'll wait for you!"

"It's not that easy, child. I can't just send you to Kalee and tell my wives to raise a Human child as their own when I haven't even spoken to them in two and a half years."

"I'll be okay, I promise!"

Grievous slammed his fist on the arm rest.

"Dammit, it's not easy and smooth sailing!" he roared. "Let me tell you right now, Celia: life is not easy and full of sunshine and happiness! It's cruel, evil and it does not favor anyone! My family will not take in a Human orphan because we have our own problems to worry about! I cannot grant your selfish and narrow-minded request, so deal with it!"

Her blue eyes were widened and her jaw was slightly agape. There weren't any tears of sorrow or terror in her eyes but it was obvious that she was shocked. Celia sat immobile on the floor and she refused to look away from him now.

"I'm…" she said weakly. "I'm sorry. But you said you wanted me to be happy with the family I picked and I like you."

"Are you capable of understanding that I can't take care of you?" Grievous asked.

"Yes, sir."

"You will die if you stay with me. I would be sentencing you to death if I adopted you."

"Would you adopt me if you could?"

"I'm not going to answer that question. Besides, I already have my own children. I will find a family for you one way or another. I promise."

She looked utterly heartbroken as the conversation dragged on. Celia wasn't crying but it was crystal clear to see she was a little upset. Her fingers tugged at the chain around her neck that bore her locket.

"I promise you will understand the things I've said when you grow older that is if you even remember me." The cyborg forced himself to speak gently to her. "It's for your own good."

"But my Mommy and Daddy always told me to listen to my heart," she said softly. "They told me to always follow it."

"They're wrong. You should listen to your brain especially in this situation."

At the moment, she didn't know what to believe. Her tears started to appear at last when Grievous thought she was going to be a big girl about this. Celia sniffled and wiped a few droplets of water away.

"One way or another, I will find a way to bring happiness to your life," he said. "I will find you a new home and we will go our separate ways. It's only inevitable, Celia. Don't cry. Big girls don't cry."

"I'm a little girl!" she pouted. "I can't help it! I just want to be with you because I like you…"

"No more of this." Grievous placed a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up so he could look directly into her eyes. "The tears are not necessary. There is nothing for you here, little one. There is only death and destruction. You are not a miniature soldier. You may not understand this now but you will when you get older."

"Will I ever see you again?"

"No. You won't want to see me when you see what I really am as you mature. Besides, once you leave my side, I won't want to see you again. I won't miss you and you shouldn't feel the same."

"I'm always gonna miss you no matter what because you took care of me when my Mommy and Daddy died. You're still my friend."

He couldn't take it anymore.

"Guards!" he called for his bodyguards.

Two MagnaGuards entered the room. Celia shrank away from them as the first encounter with the malfunctioning droid was still fresh in her little mind. She looked at the General pleadingly. With a detached look in his eyes, he coldly returned her gaze.

"Take her to her room and make sure she goes to sleep," he commanded.

Wordlessly, one of the droids grasped her arm and began to pull her away from Grievous' presence. Deciding to not fight back, Celia walked away with them but she refused to break her stare. The Kaleesh looked off to the side, preferring to avoid her hurt and overly moistened eyes.


	16. Chapter 16 The Noose Tightens

**Yes, I have failed you once again my lovely readers... I want to apologize again for this month long late update and I really don't want to explain the reasons why this took so long... So, yeah. Moving on! I forced myself to get this done in a single day and I'm proud of myself for getting so much done so quickly. I'm not very good at writing action scenes but hopefully this turned out to be okay. Please enjoy the update and once again, apologies :)**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 16 The Noose Tightens

(Borealia - dawn)

The sky was a bright blood red color. The sun slowly rose above the ruins of Tyrin City, bathing it in the ominous and melancholy crimson glow. Once more, Grievous watched the sunrise alone just as he had for nearly three years now. It was peaceful yet eerily sobering. At the same time, he could've sworn that he had gotten a rather nasty feeling within his metallic joints if that even was possible.

At last, the glowing orb of warmth and luminescence climbed the horizon. The intensity hurt his eyes and finally he looked away. The cyborg rose out of his chair and decided to exit his quarters. He was quite bored and he was forbidden by Dooku to do anything until the new governor arrived on Borealia to at last establish a Separatist friendly government. To pass the boredom, he decided to roam the corridors of his flagship even though he just did that two hours earlier.

"General!"

Two B1s bumped into him as soon as the elevator doors swept open. One of them fell on their inorganic rump. Grievous rolled his eyes and amazingly, he didn't feel very much annoyed or angry that they were calling for his attention.

"What?" he asked idly.

"Bad news, bad news!" the droid who was still standing said.

"Really bad!" the other one who was sitting emphasized.

"Spit it out!" the General commanded.

"A Republic fleet just emerged out of hyperspace and they're attacking our frigates hovering above Borealia's orbit!" the sitting droid finally stood back up.

"It's a surprise attack!" the second one raved.

Grievous narrowed his eyes. He almost hoped an invasion or insurrection would occur just to kill the stagnant boredom that had taunted him for the past few days. Now he could spill some clone blood and maybe steal a lightsaber or two from their unfortunate Jedi commanders. As the news of the Republic fleet sunk in, he began to savor it more and more. In fact, he eagerly anticipated to go out and slay his foes.

"Well it doesn't take much sense for one to realize we must fight back," Grievous said a few moments later. "Let the frigates try to hold back what they can. Their sole mission will be to try to minimize the Republic forces while I prepare for the ground battle." He pointed a skeletal finger at the droids. "You two round up some of your fellow troops." Then he remembered something else. "I have one small errand to attend to before I can organize our defenses."

(The organic quartering level)

Celia could hear the engineers barking orders at each other and their feet shuffling in the hallway outside her room. She was shaken from her dreams by these noises and she sat up in her bed, trying to make sense of everything that was going on. The little girl scratched her head and cocked it to the side, confused by the hustle and bustle of activity that she could hear.

"Oh, are they getting ready for a party?" she thought to herself.

Celia got out her bed and grabbed her locket that was sitting on the nightstand. She placed it around her neck and went over to the control console by her door. Her little hand pounded on the locking mechanism and the door swept open.

"We got to start up the engines to prepare for a possible emergency take off!" one engineer informed another who happened to wake up at around the same time Celia did. "A Republic fleet just came out of hyperspace and we're under attack! It's the General's orders so do it!"

Although she was five, Celia could understand what she just overheard. Immediately, she wanted to run to Grievous to see what he'd tell her about this whole mess. She looked around the hall, seeing all kind of crewmen and personnel running about with the intentions to do what they've been trained to do in the event of a battle. In his fervor, one of the men nearly slammed into her and Celia moved out of the way just in time.

However, amidst this noisy sea of men yelling and running, she could hear metal feet clank against the corridor floor. It sounded more ponderous yet fleet than a battle droid's. But she could hardly see him with all these organic men running about. Celia was reminded of just how close he was when he felt his heavy clawed hand on her shoulder.

"Grievous!" she turned around to face him, relieved to see her guardian.

"Celia," he said gently, "do you know what's going on?"

"I heard a guy say the Republic's here!"

"Yes, he's correct. Now listen very carefully, there's a battle happening as we speak in space above the planet. Very soon, they're going to descend and meet my forces and I on the battlefield. Things are going to get very nasty very quickly… Are you following me?" She nodded her head. "Good. I want you to remain in your room and do not come out until I come back to check on you. Do you understand me, Celia?"

"Yes, Grievous. But what if…" She was not used to referring to the Republic forces as her enemies. After all, they attempted to defend the city in vain. "What if they come on the ship?"

"They won't. Just be good and stay in your room. I promise everything will be alright."

"Are you going to go fight?"

"I must. I am a general. I am a warrior. You: you're not. Don't get any ideas for following me."

"Will you be careful?" She grabbed his clawed hand.

Grievous knelt down to her side. The engineers in the hallway had all but disappeared and were off doing their emergency duties. He didn't wrench his hand free from her weak and fragile grasp. His skeletal fingers encircled around her hand and sweetly stroked it. The cyborg ran his other hand through her auburn hair in an assuring manner.

"I will," he said surprisingly softly. "Don't worry. I'll win this and I'll continue with helping you look for a family."

Celia still wanted him to raise her. But she remembered the talk he gave her during the evening after Rax and Roma's deaths. He couldn't and wouldn't adopt her. Her little heart fell but the child hid this reborn sorrow.

"Okay," she said. "I'll wait in my room."

"Good girl," he gently patted the crown of her head. "Stay where you are and everything will go according to plan."

He pulled himself away from her with his hand retreated from her hold. They looked back at each other for a few moments. Grievous then turned his back on her.

"Wait!" she called.

He heard her little feet against the floor and before he could turn around to face her, she wrapped her arms around him. Celia placed the side of her head up against his leg, holding him in an embrace. There was not much he could do to react to her gesture of affection. All he did end up doing was stand there, looking down on her.

Grievous placed a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head upwards so he could look her in the eyes. There were no tears in her blue eyes but he could tell she was a little scared for him. He scoffed lightly.

"There is no need to be afraid for me," he said confidently. "But I thank you for your concern. No one has been worried for my safety for so long." The lust for battle swelled within him but he temporarily repressed this. "Let me go, Celia. I will see you soon."

Reluctantly, she let him go. Grievous could have no more sentimental moments weigh in on in his thoughts and heart. Before any battle, he always needed to clear his thoughts. His only objective was to kill and return alive.

Celia entered her room, secretly fearing that she may never see her strange friend again. Grievous ran down the corridor, thirsting and yearning for the blood of the commander of this invading fleet.

(The _Archangel _– hangar bay)

"The last of the frigates have been decimated," Cody reported as he strode up to his Jedi friend's side. "Are we to board a transport to fly down to the surface, General?"

"Absolutely, Cody," Obi-Wan replied. He felt for his hilt around his waist. His blade was there and he was ready. "Let's get this under way. Today, we're going to see if we can capture General Grievous at last and bring him to justice."

"Sounds like a good day to me! Personally, I'd prefer him dead beneath my feet but it'll be fun to watch him rot in a detention block too." Cody made sure his blaster rifle was fully locked and loaded. "Let's get this party started shall we?"

General Kenobi and Commander Cody jogged over to an LAAT that was waiting for them to board. They climbed into the troop transport and the bay doors shut behind them. Aboard the craft, the clones were excitedly yet anxiously anticipating this battle. They proudly brandished their blaster rifles, rocket launchers and other armaments, ready to strike back at the Separatist forces and take back their fallen ally.

Obi-Wan turned his head over to an especial clone trooper whose armor was shinier and better kempt than his brothers. The soldier's posture was slumped and he appeared to be more afraid and apprehensive than the others. He held his rifle at his side and his helmeted head was looking blankly at the floor. Right away, the Jedi Master could tell he was a shiny.

"Remember your training and trust your feelings," Obi-Wan placed a friendly hand on the freshly christened trooper's shoulder plating. "You might be surprised by what you can accomplish."

"Th-thanks sir," the shiny nodded his head. There was a tiny yet nervous smile beneath his helmet. "I'll try my best."

"General, we're awaiting your orders to begin the ground assault," said Cody.

The Jedi pulled his hand away. He steeled himself and took a deep breath.

"Alright, let's get this started so we can end this," he announced. "Deploy LAATs."

(Borealian surface)

There must've been hundreds of them flying across the sky. They were so numerous and vast, the morning sky seemed to be like the evening. The hum of the LAATs beat against both eardrums and audio receptors. The homeless citizens of Tyrin City rejoiced upon seeing this heaven sent fleet, throwing their hands up into the air and whooping in glee and hope.

The Confederate forces were ordered to hold their ground around their encampment and defend it. AATs were posted at the front lines, ready to blast any civilian-soldiers or clone troopers foolish enough to march forth so carelessly. Turrets shot rounds into the skies in an attempt to shoot down as many LAATs as possible to reduce the amount of soldiers to carry on with the fight. Battle droids ran around like mad, occupying their positions and carrying out last minute preparations for the oncoming attack.

"You will hold your ground and show them no mercy!" Grievous instructed his inorganic soldiers. "Don't be afraid to shoot them in the head when they're crawling on their bellies and begging for mercy! They don't deserve any better treatment! If there are any Jedi, you are to leave them to me…"

"My lord," a MagnaGuard approached him, "I have recieved a report that the civilians are arming themselves and are joining forces with the landed Republic troops. Are we to eliminate the populace as well?"

"Kill all who stand in our way! After this battle is finished, I will personally set this blasted city on fire to make sure its name is forever lost! The only reminder it had even existed will be in the stories of my exploits!" He threw off his cloak and activated two lightsabers around his waist. "The whole population will be rounded up for extermination and be made an example of after the battle subsides. That way, any planets I will conquer in the future will know better than to resist my presence and power any further!"

"Yes, Lord Grievous, as you command."

The tall wardroid walked away from the cyborg to make sure the lesser robotic warriors were ready for the incoming chaos. Grievous jumped to the top of an AAT to survey the battlefield before him.

A about a quarter of a mile away, where the blockade of AATs were situated, he could see the white armor of the clones meandering around in the ruined streets of the city. Alongside the soldiers, he could see the physically beaten but not spiritually destroyed civilians advancing towards his front lines. He chuckled grimly and wickedly at what he saw.

"Don't you see the tanks?" he thought. "The civilians will be the erring step of their assault because they're not soldiers. Hopefully, this will be over before it really can acclimate." He extended a blade and spoke out loud. "Fire on the advancing troops!"

The tanks opened a punishing and cruel volley of blaster and cannon fire at the soldiers. They spread apart, taking refuge behind fallen buildings, diving into craters in the ground or half danced across the battlefield to dodge the fire. The unfortunate men had been vaporized by the explosions or had been instantly killed by the shockwaves and intensity of the tanks' capabilities. However, they weren't deterred by this and they pressed onward with great courage and determination.

Grievous then heard the shrieks of starfighter engines in the skies above. His eyes looked upward, spotting several ARC-170s flying towards his lines. Instantly, he knew what motive they had in mind.

"Turrets, open fire on incoming starfighters!" he roared amongst all the explosions and carnage.

A few seconds later, one of the ARC-170s had blown up in fiery and burning glory in midair. It crashed to the ground as a group of battle droids fled from the crash site to avoid being smashed by debris. Yet, not all were destroyed and those that remained opened fire on the seemingly impenetrable line of tanks. With a few well placed shots, the tanks blew up as well, weakening the barricade around the encampment. The advancing Republic forces crept closer and now had an easier way to enter the enemy lines.

Grievous growled angrily as he saw this unfold before him.

"Turrets, keep on firing!" he remained steadfast. "Shoot them all down before they can cause any more damage!"

"General, some troops have broken through the defenses and are advancing deeper into our lines!" a super battle droid shouted.

"Well, don't just stand there!" he barked. "You're a battle droid, you're programmed for war, so kill them!"

For a moment, he thought his eyes were fooling him. As Grievous looked harder, he could see a very familiar figure moving quite quickly. The mysterious and worthy solider dashed through the breach in the line of tanks, gracefully maneuvering through the throngs. If Grievous was holding the hilts in his hands any tighter, they would've snapped in half.

"Kenobi..!" he hissed venomously.

The mechanical Kaleesh leapt down from his perch. Moments later, it blew up right in front of him as a starfighter destroyed it. The flames danced around his feet but he could see Obi-Wan coming closer through the wall of fire. A hateful and vengeful glare formed and his talons dug into the earth. He crouched, hoping the Jedi would not detect or see this ambush come about until it was too late.

Wildly, Obi-Wan looked around at his surroundings, on the search for one thing and for one thing only. Simultaneously, he deflected blaster fire and sliced down any droid that had come within close proximity to him. He saw the remains of a tank that had now been reduced to a pool of fire and scorched metal. His eyes focused on a dark object that had been hugging the ground closely.

A MagnaGuard leapt towards him with the intentions to impale him. But the droid's move was foiled when Kenobi had thrust the blade into its forehead, rendering it harmless immediately. This only lasted about a grand total of four seconds but it was enough time nonetheless.

From behind, the Jedi heard someone or something roar like a monster. He turned around, seeing Grievous leap forth from the flaming remains of the tank, his lightsabers poised to slay his nemesis. Gasping, he raised his blade to defend himself. However, Grievous' strength proved to be too much and when their blades made contact, Obi-Wan was thrown violently to the ground.

"It's time to die, Kenobi!" Grievous growled.

He raised his heavy metal talons with the intentions to mash his organs and crunch his bones. Obi-Wan refused to become a Human pancake and rolled out of the way. The foot thudded loudly against the earth. Sheathing one of his blades, Grievous grabbed the Jedi by the scruff of his tunic, tossing him aside. Obi-Wan briefly took flight until he landed fifteen feet away.

"How typical of you to follow me wherever I go," Grievous walked over to his rival. "You're like a vulture. True, you may have bested me a few times on the battlefield but when it comes down to one on one combat, you're pathetic."

"Say what you want," the Jedi stood back up on his feet. "All I know is that today, your career ends here."

"No, I don't think so. I know that your days of endlessly pursuing me will end here and now…"

Obi-Wan waited for a few seconds longer. He wore a small smirk on his face. When Grievous saw this, he was confused and infuriated.

"I will carve that look off your ugly face..!"

"Cody, now!"

Grievous stiffened at this, becoming even more flustered. He heard something latch into his metal spine. A second later, a strong electrical current flooded through his body. He bellowed in anger in pain, falling to his knees. Cody kept his finger down on the stunning blaster's trigger, hoping that a constant stream of electricity would sufficiently weaken but not kill the droid general.

Five other clones ran onto the scene, and dog-piled themselves on Grievous to prevent him from standing back up. Once they body slammed him, Cody halted with his end of the plan but planned on having his finger close to the trigger just in case. Grievous lie immobile on the earth, incapacitated by the electrical current that traveled through him.

"Today, you will be captured," Obi-Wan approached him, savoring the twist of events. "You will be sent to Coruscant where you will then receive trial."

"Go to Hell, Kenobi!" he swore, his eyes blazing like two fireballs. "Do you really think the strength of five men and a stunning blaster will stop me? I always took you for a slightly smarter foe!"

Grievous built up all his strength and released it at once. As if they weightless pieces of dust, the five clones were thrown off his body. He then ripped the wire out of his back that Cody shot out of the blaster. If he had the lower half of his face, there would've been a chilling and demonic looking smile on it.

"If you want to catch me so badly, then come and get me!" he jeered.

Grievous bolted from them and went towards the direction where his flagship was parked.


	17. Chapter 17 The Painful Ultimatum

**Holy crap, can it be? =O I actually updated before it became a full month! Anyway, I'm nearly half way done with my exams and I managed to get this done during what free time I had. I think I could've done this chapter better but hopefully you'll all like it. Thanks for the last reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 17 The Painful Ultimatum

"Hello?"

Celia heard a tapping against her door but she didn't want to retreat from her hiding spot. Her little head poked out from underneath her bed and she curiously gazed at the locked door. At the back of her mind, she wondered if a clone had gotten onto the ship but she just didn't know.

"Hello?" she called out again. "Who's at the door?"

Even though she was deep within the _Invisible Hand_, Celia could still hear the noises of the battle going on outside. She had heard explosions and screams: things she had heard days earlier. They unnerved and frightened her which led to her finding refuge beneath her bed.

"Celia, it's me," said the very familiar and gruff voice.

Her little eyes lit up merrily and without hesitation, she retreated from her hiding spot. She sprinted over to the door, opening it up. Just as the voice led her to believe, she saw Grievous standing before her.

"You're okay!" she rejoiced. She hugged him again. "I was worried about you!"

"I told you that everything would turn out to be alright, you silly child," he said.

However, she could still hear the chaos transpire outside. At times, a random explosion slightly rocked the Trade Federation cruiser but no grave damage could be done.

"Is the fight still going on?" Celia took a step closer to him and listened more carefully to the muffled sounds that the thick hull of the ship distorted.

"Yes, it is," the half droid replied. "But you needn't worry about that at all."

Celia looked at him as Grievous gazed at her locket around her neck. There was this unreadable look in his eyes and she couldn't tell if he was angry, sad, happy or felt any emotions at all. He blinked slowly.

"What an interesting little memento," he commented. "Since I helped you get it back, you haven't let it go since."

"I'm going to always keep it," Celia ran a finger across the smooth and polished surface. "My Mommy and Daddy gave it to me and it's special. I'll never lose it again."

"I came back here to check on you to see if you were alright. Also, I wanted to know if you wanted to go for a little walk with me."

Instantly, she thrust one of her little hands into his much larger claw. The smile she wore looked angelic and blissful. It was obvious to see that in her new life, he was all she wanted. Celia pulled on his hand, trying to lead him out of her quarters.

"Come on, let's go!" she giggled.

(Obi-Wan and Cody)

"Sir, droidekas!"

Obi-Wan heard the telltale rattling noise of the deadly droids as they raced across the floor to him and Cody. The Jedi readied his blade to deflect the blaster fire. The clone commander fished through the utility belt around his waist, looking for something that would help remedy this situation. Cody pulled out two thermal detonators. Hastily, he chucked them toward the droidekas who were about to deploy their shields.

"Sir, get down!" he yelled to the Jedi.

Obi-Wan ducked as Cody threw the grenades. The two explosive devices landed in front of the war droids. A few seconds later, the droidekas were exterminated, their parts unceremoniously shredded and melted by the heat and intensity.

"Thank you, Cody," Obi-Wan nodded. "That saved me some trouble."

"It's all in a day's work, sir," the clone nodded his head, acknowledging the Jedi's gratefulness. "Besides, we need to catch up with Grievous." He looked around the corridor in confusion. "I never boarded this ship before… Where do we exactly go? He could be anywhere!"

"I think he was leading us on. I don't think he'd run away already but then again, he is accustomed to doing that in battle. We have to find him and subdue him before he can accomplish any little plan he has in store for us."

"It's not too much for us!"

"Cody, Grievous is crafty and not to be taken lightly no matter what the cost or situation. We can't rush headlong into this. Why would he lead us onto his ship?"

"I guess you're right about that, General… But where do we start? Do we run around all over the place in the hopes that we cross paths with him?"

"We look for a sign from him since he wants us to join him. Let him lead us to him."

Cody felt slightly ignorant and sheepish of his friend's plan. He rubbed the back of his helmet.

"Should've thought the same thing, sir," the clone said. "Oh, well. Excellent plan though. I just hope we know how to get the hell out of here when we have to. I'm not too keen on getting stuck on this ship surrounded by King Clanker and all his little friends."

"Don't worry, Cody," Obi-Wan was absolutely determined to have everything go according to plan. "I plan on having total control of the situation no matter what. "Grievous will be taken today. The Separatists will be dealt a crushing blow today. We cannot wait any longer."

Just a second later, they heard a high pitched laugh. Both of their eye brows were raised in curiosity and they jumped in their shoes at this most unexpected noise. In uniformity, they glanced at each other.

"General, what did you just hear?" Cody asked. "Please tell me I didn't hear a little kid laugh."

"Someone did indeed laugh," Obi-Wan clutched his hilt tighter. "Disturbingly enough, it did sound like a child." His heart quickened. "Something tells me this is our sign. Let's go!"

(Hangar bay)

Grievous watched as Celia spun around like a ballerina. She was giggling merrily as if there wasn't a bloody battle waging outside. Her arms were stretched out and she went around in circles with her eyes closed. The young girl looked back at him with a truly happy smile on her face.

"I'm going to miss you," she said. "When I get my new family, I want you to come visit me. We can still be friends."

He shook his masked head. Celia's grin melted away.

"When you get your new family and start your new life, don't ever look back," he advised. "It's best that you do that, Celia. For your own mental health, you will choose to forget about your days here."

"Mental health? You mean there's something wrong with my brain?" She placed her hands on her cranium. "Is my brain going to explode?"

Grievous rolled his eyes.

"You're ludicrous. Just keep playing."

Celia bounded over to his side. She grasped his hands, giggling like a carefree wood nymph. From a purely objective point of view, such a sight would be quite disturbing to stumble across. How could a five year old Human child act so happily and almost naively interact with a huge, hulking, crotchety and extremely temperamental half-machine half-man? Grievous still couldn't decipher the machinations of her mind. Anymore, he was certain she had a mental illness.

His mind drifted back to the dark thoughts he toyed with. He became nearly oblivious to the material universe whilst dwelling upon such thoughts. Celia noticed he was looking at her directly but he didn't appear to be blinking. His stare was fixed and rather unnerving.

"Grievous, are you okay?"

He blinked for the first time in twenty seconds. The cyborg knelt down, leveling his height to match her. Celia still held onto his hands: rather, her grip tightened. The look in his eyes made her heart quicken and race like a rabbit.

"Celia Halcyn," he said gravely, "today, it ends here forever. I cannot prolong this anymore. It must be done."

"What?" she was genuinely vexed by his words. "What're you talking about?"

Before she could further make sense of anything, he gruffly grabbed her. She screamed.

(One minute later…)

"Through those doors!" Cody motioned. "I heard the scream from there!"

"I was about to say the same thing…" Obi-Wan said beneath his breath.

The two heard the shrill scream of a child who sounded as if they were in the claws of a beast. Once the shriek battered against their eardrums, their search for the phantom child was put into overdrive. Their laughs had turned into a piercing plea for aid so swiftly, they knew something dastardly was amiss.

"The hangar bay…" Cody read a plaque in Aurebesh that was right next to the doors. "I got a bad feeling about this, sir."

"Our adventures thrive on that, Cody," Obi-Wan stated. He closed his eyes. He could sense something odd and terrifying in the Force. The Jedi gasped heavily and his eyes shot open. "There are two souls in that hangar bay. The child is one of them and the other…!"

Without another moment wasted, the Jedi general burst in courageously with Cody close behind him. They dashed out into the expansive Separatist hangar but they were quickly halted in their footsteps.

Obi-Wan came to a screeching halt. In his horror and shock, Cody almost dropped his blaster rifle. Their eyes wanted to discredit what they were seeing but what they felt in their hearts was indeed a reality.

"By the Force…" Kenobi exhaled.

Cody lowered his gun as soon as he saw the little girl in Grievous' arms. Obi-Wan shook his head in disbelief. He didn't know what to do.

"Grievous, don't hurt me!" Celia cried, terrified of what he was doing. Her friend and caretaker was ready to cut her head off now. The humming blue blade was mere inches away from her face. "Don't kill me! Let me go!"

"Grievous!" Obi-Wan said in a stern and powerful voice. "Release that child at once!"

"I don't think so," the cyborg narrowed his eyes at the clone and the Jedi. "I'm in control here. Not you, Kenobi!"

"You would do something like this," Cody said in utter disgust and contempt. "The big bad droid general threatens to kill children."

"Silence, clone! You have no say here!"

"Please, let me go!" Celia desperately pleaded with big tears dripping from her bloodshot eyes.

"Shut up, Celia…." He growled dangerously into her ear. "Cease the dramatics."

"Where did you find the girl?" Obi-Wan demanded answers.

"She crossed paths with me while I walked through the ruins of Tyrin City after I destroyed it. I decided to capture her and see if she could be of some use in some unforeseen way." Grievous evilly laughed. "Apparently, she has proven her worth in this hour. I will kill her if you do not gather your troops and leave this planet."

Celia couldn't believe what she was hearing. He had to have been lying. Yes, he had to… The thought he only used her for his own selfish purposes broke her heart into sharp shards. She had cared for him and he didn't reciprocate the kindness at all. Earnestly, she wanted to protest against his claims but she was too scared and confused to do so. Plus, the blade so close to her face kept her quite occupied.

"You're a pathetic, vile and cowardly creature," Cody shook his head.

"Thank you," said Grievous. "I know I am."

"You wouldn't kill a helpless little girl," Obi-Wan hoped what he was saying was true. "If you kill her, then you leave me with no choice and I will have to do the same to you!"

"There's a first time for everything. It'll be so easy…" The blade drew closer to her face. Celia's screams intensified. "I'm not afraid to do what I must. I must applaud you, Kenobi, for mustering up a liberating invasion force to free Borealia from my control. It has cornered me quite well but you ought to know me better. I can get myself out of a tight situation well I am required to. If I have to kill a child to save myself and what remains of my fleet and troops, I will happily do it."

"You won't! I can't let her blood stain your hands."

"Then leave Borealia now! Call off your invasion and go back to Coruscant!"

"I have you right here, right now and I can't let you go off like this! You will face justice today, Grievous!"

"Make up your mind before I snuff her life out like dying embers, Kenobi! Do not leave me waiting like this! I detest unnecessary waiting!"

"General Kenobi, what should we do?" Cody was equally conflicted as Obi-Wan.

Grievous held Celia a little closer but kept the lightsaber steady in his clawed hand. He could almost feel her heartbeat through her back as it was pressed up against his chest. His hand was drenched with her tears but he remained stoic and firm in front of his two foes. Internally, the tears of a child on his hand bothered him ever so slightly. The ultimatum he gave to Cody and Obi-Wan was final no matter what.

He moved his head in closer to hers yet watched as his foes conversed over the matter, trying to figure out what to do. In the end, he knew his true plan would unfold and become a reality. Celia cringed in horror as this happened.

"Please," she said in gasping breaths, "I don't want to die!"

"Your soul will be released," he whispered into her ear.

"No, no, no, no!"

"Remember, never look back. I have never liked or loved you. I have always hated your face and your smile. And you should feel the same to me."

Her heart thumped hollowly in her chest. The saliva in her throat seemed to turn into coarse sand. Celia's tears still didn't cease as his cruel words hounded her thoughts and emotions.

He was a liar. He did hate her after all. Yet she couldn't understand it. She couldn't understand hate.

"Why?" she said almost inaudibly. "I love you, Grievous. You're still my friend. I don't think you hate me really."

Existence itself seemed to stop continuing to him. Grievous felt so dismal and confused. Reason was sucked into a black hole, never to be seen again.

Love… It made him sick. He hated it but craved it. Beneath all the vengeance and bile he bore to his foes, there was love. He had joined the Separatists to restore the glory of his homeworld and to bring closure and security to those precious to him on Kalee. What made him want to do those things? Love. Not pure and righteous love but love infected with pain and injustice. But love nonetheless.

The _Invisible Hand_ was shaken by an explosion. Cody and Obi-Wan's footing faltered but Grievous' magnetized talons prevented such slip ups. The Kaleesh warlord sheathed his lightsaber at last.

"Good luck, Celia Halcyn," Grievous still kept the conversation strictly between him and the little girl. "For your own sake, I hope we never cross paths once more. If you see me, run. Forget all of this. It's all just a nightmare filled with monsters and illusions."

"Good bye, Grievous," Celia sniffled. She wanted to kiss him on his mask but she didn't want the Jedi and the clone trooper to know she cared for him. "I'll… I'll stay away like you want me to."

"Then you will live a long and happy life. It is better this way." He raised the intensity of his voice and he directed his attention to Obi-Wan and Cody. "You have wasted my time long enough!"

He threw Celia towards the Jedi, trusting him more than Cody to catch her. Obi-Wan sheathed his blade and called upon the Force. He suspended her in midair and gently lowered her into his arms. By the time he looked up, he saw Grievous jumping into his modified Belabulub-22. Cody gave no pursuit, knowing it was daft to try to stop the droid general at this point. Kenobi grimaced as he watched the _Soulless One_ race out of the hangar bay, knowing Grievous had escaped once again.

"Little girl, are you alright?" Obi-Wan gave his undivided attention to Celia.

She wiped some of her tears away and took a few deep breaths. The child didn't want to look at her new guardians. Already, she missed Grievous and more than anything else, she wanted him to be holding her: not the Jedi.

"I'm okay…" she confirmed weakly. "Will you help me find a family? My Mommy and Daddy are dead."

"We'll do what we can for you, kid," Cody grinned behind his helmet. "As long as you're not with that hideous beast, you'll be alright."

"Emergency takeoff initiated," a battle droid's voice droned over a com system.

The warship rumbled to life as the engines started up. Cody and Obi-Wan looked at each other warily.

"Looks like we have to get off this ship before it blasts off," Cody advised. We got to reunite with everyone else and take care of the kid."

"I couldn't agree more," Kenobi agreed although disappointment was evident in his voice. He was mad at himself for allowing Grievous to escape. On the contrary, he was pleased a child didn't die. "Let's wrap up this battle and make sure we at least have Borealia freed."


	18. Chapter 18 Grounded in Reflections

**Well, after this chapter, there's going to be one more and then I'm done. :'( I had lots of fun writing this thing too... Now, I don't know if I did a good job on this chapter or not. Hopefully, you'll all like it. Also, I don't know when I'll be able to post the next chapter because I've been having lots of internet connection problems and I'm submitting this via a library computer... So have patience for the final chapter please :) Thanks for all the previous reviews and enjoy the chapter! **

Innocence is Blind

Chapter 18 Grounded in Reflections

(6 months after Borealia's liberation – Naboo)

Nassie Sigbion warily looked over at her adopted daughter. She leaned in the doorway that led into the family's garden in their fenced in backyard, silently observing Celia from a distance. From that distance, she could hear the little girl's locket play its borderline eerie yet soothing melody. Celia was lying on the grassy and plush earth, her eyes turned up to the vast and starry sky.

She was well aware of what kind of child she was going to be taking care of as soon as she laid eyes on her six months ago. Nassie, her husband, Det, and their twelve year old son, Allan, were on Coruscant to visit an orphanage in order to add another addition to their family. Mrs. Sigbion had lost her ability to have children shortly after Allan's birth and she and her husband agreed to adopt to make up for the children they couldn't conceive.

Before the family could begin to meet the unfortunate residents of the orphanage, she recalled Celia being led into the institution by two clone troopers. Immediately, she had a feeling in the pit of her gut that this child had a hidden yet intriguing story revolving around her. Nassie inquired the clones of who the little girl was and where she was from. The two soldiers explained to her that she was from a Republic world that had recently been conquered by Grievous but then quickly liberated a day earlier. She noticed how Celia looked down at the ground, never lifting up her eyes to engage Nassie in any contact. The woman felt nothing but pity, sympathy and tenderness for the girl. Without even thinking twice, she opened her heart and made the girl family.

It had been six months since the Sigbions made Celia one of their own and yet Celia still remained somewhat aloof and dreamy. She opened up considerably since her first days living with them but the child always seemed to be like she was thinking, especially when she was alone. Celia made friends in her new school and so far, she seemed to be living a normal and happy life. But still, the occasional distantness discomforted Nassie. Nassie guessed this was only natural because Celia had seen her parents die and she was still trying to get over the initial shock. Therefore, she assumed it would take time for her new daughter to adjust to things.

"Celia, honey," Nassie walked over to the girl's side, "are you alright?"

Celia sat up from her natural mattress and faced her adopted mother. She closed up her locket and the music died. Nassie smiled warmly and took a seat next to her on the grass.

"I'm okay, Mommy," Celia said.

"Are you thinking about your old home?"

"Yes. I miss it. I miss my real Mommy and Daddy."

"I understand, honey. You're going to be hurting for years because of that. But with each year that goes by, you'll learn how to deal with it better. I promise."

"I believe you, Mommy."

"Do you want to talk about your time there?" She placed an assuring and gentle hand on Celia's shoulder. "You know you can talk to me and Daddy about anything, right?"

"I know. Allan wants me to talk about what happened on General Grievous' ship. But I keep on telling him I was locked in a room until the Jedi and the clones saved me. That's all that happened."

"And I can only say that I am so happy you no longer have to worry about him, Celia. He can never frighten you again. The Separatists will all be defeated before we know it: Count Dooku is dead and Grievous cannot act so strongly all the time without that old traitor." She kissed her cheek. "You've got nothing to worry about, dear. You're safe and sound. Daddy, Allan and I are your new family members now. We all love you."

"I love you all too." She looked up at the stars. "Mommy, I don't want to come inside yet. Can I look at the sky for a few more minutes?"

"It's dark out, honey. But okay. I'll give you five more minutes." Nassie stood up. "I'll be back out soon to get you in. I don't want you to get a chill."

Celia laughed.

"I'm six now, Mommy!" She hugged Nassie's legs. "I can take care of myself a little better."

"I know, Celia." Nassie had no regrets adopting her. "I'm just a worrywart."

The auburn haired girl released her mother and Nassie walked out of the peaceful and verdantly green yard. Celia watched her go into the house as if she was waiting to let a secret loose to an imaginary friend. Nassie then shut the door.

Looking around, she pulled a tiny strip of cloth out of her pocket. She ran it through her fingers and shut her eyes. The cloth was a bluish gray color and it wasn't made out a very fine material. The textile was a little on the rugged side but it didn't deter her at all. Secretly, she tore off a strip from her special "blanket" so that she could have a piece to carry around with her at all times. Grievous nor her new family ever found out about her peculiar comforting article.

Celia looked up at the sky. She wondered where Borealia was amidst all that gigantic mess of blackness and stars. She also pondered where Grievous was now.

Just recently, she heard he had made a daring assault on Coruscant, kidnapping Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in the process. However, his forces were beaten, Palpatine had been rescued and Grievous was forced to retreat to the deepest recesses of Separatist controlled space. Now, she didn't hear any news about him. She just wanted to know if he was alright.

"I can't forget you, Grievous," she whispered to herself. "But I promise I'll never tell anyone that I love you and miss you. I still don't know if you really hate me… I know I'll still be your friend. I hope you're okay."

(Utapau – Separatist control sphere)

Grievous couldn't rest this evening. Tomorrow, he would have to address the Separatist Council: he dreaded talking to them and he hated them all. Since Dooku's death at the hands of Anakin Skywalker, he couldn't help to feel a little disorganized. Quite literally, with the slash of two lightsabers, he became the leader of the CIS. True, he did bear some loathing towards the Sith apprentice but he respected his political leadership and strength as he knew they were things he was lacking in whereas Dooku was quite skilled in those areas.

Now, everything was thrust upon him. The old man no longer served as a mediator between him and Darth Sidious too.

Grudgingly, Grievous began to suspect that things might be taking a turn for the worst for him. Mace Windu had crushed his chest, making him cough much more frequently than usual. He felt weaker but he dared not to admit it to anyone, not even to himself. A few times, he even began to question and doubt himself which further caused disgust to form within him.

As he stood alone at the precipice of a tiny hangar, the half droid suddenly remembered Celia. Instinctively, he looked up the sinkhole the massive sphere was situated in and scanned the evening sky above.

"I never looked back," he thought.

He wouldn't look back even if she was standing there alone and no one else was by her side. He could imagine what the look on her face would look like if he glanced back for a miniscule second. Grievous feared a change of heart with her fate.

"It's for her own good. She was born a Republican and she ought to remain one. She'd be dead anyway if she'd remain with me. I couldn't allow her to stay for much longer. She's so young, naïve and innocent, she deserved a second chance more than most people." Grievous growled and shook his head. He couldn't understand her persistence. "What do children see in the universe that the adults don't?"

The Kaleesh began to pace restlessly. He folded his hands behind his back. His cloak billowed slightly as he moved. His eyes shut and his mind wandered again as it always did during the silence and tranquility of the evening.

For the moment, he ceased to think about Celia. Rather, he thought about the daughter he had that so reminded him of the little Human: Kalla. And when he recalled her, all the memories of his other family members flooded back to him. It had been three years since he last saw them. His hardened heart grew heavy as he saw their faces within his mind's eye.

"I miss you all so much…" he talked amazingly quietly to himself. "I promise I will speak to you all tomorrow. Dooku will no longer prohibit me from contacting you. I will not let my duties completely overwhelm me. I have no excuse to neglect you all. As soon as I get done talking to them tomorrow and have them shipped off to Mustafar, I'll speak…"

"What are you mumbling about?" a slicing and obnoxious voice demanded.

Grievous' warm and heartfelt feelings were instantly massacred. His mood was spoilt and he had the urge to slaughter the uncouth intruder. He turned around to face his company, his golden eyes blazing.

"Viceroy," he hissed, sounding like a snake.

"Yes, who else would it be?" Gunray scowled.

"Tell me what you want so I can help you get away from me."

"I was just about grab some personal belongings of mine from my shuttle that a stupid service droid forgot to grab earlier. I crossed paths with you by chance."

"If that's the case, then I suggest you be on your merry way. I wish to be left alone with my thoughts."

Nute Gunray smirked devilishly. He cackled.

"Alone with your thoughts," the Neimoidian repeated. "Do you have doubts about the newfound power that you now yield?"

"Not at all." Grievous's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I think I can take care of an overgrown and spoiled maggot such as you. If Dooku can do it, so can I!"

"I'd like to see you try… Everyone knows you are an ill-tempered and crude brute. You, a primitive creature, cannot possibly understand the beautiful intricacies of politics."

"Oh, I see. I may only be suitable for one thing: war. Yet you are suitable for perhaps both the military and the political power? Nute Gunray: spirit of the Confederacy!" His short laugh sounded like a strange cross between a roar and a cough. "I only deal with you because you are important for contributing battle droids for the clones and Jedi to fight. If this Confederacy was solely mine and mine alone, you'd be dead years ago. Lord Sidious holds me back from killing you and Dooku once did as well. If anything should happen to Sidious, I would become the absolute and unquestionable leader of this movement…" He pointed his finger at the viceroy. "And you would be out of luck."

"You are faulty! The CIS will be doomed with your reckless and autocratic guidance! I certainly do not like you in control of things but Lord Sidious has approved of it I am sure…"

"Well, if you want my mantle of power so badly, you may kill me. Send all the assassins and bounty hunters you want, because I will make sure that in the end, I will win and you will lose."

"I have had enough of this. I will see you at our meeting tomorrow, General. Have fun with your thoughts that are so filled with self-pity and doubt."

"It would be best for you to walk and not talk. Sleep well, Viceroy."

Gunray was extremely intimidated by the General yet he still had the urge to lash out at him in rebellion. He hurried off, careful to not trip over his robes. Grievous hatefully watched him evacuate the area to fetch his goods.

The cyborg stood in silence to compose himself from the conversation he had with one of his least favorite people. Before he knew it, his private emotions and desires came back to him as swiftly as his anger and lust for murder did. He sighed heavily.

"Because of you, Celia, you've made me want to see my loved ones even more," he said within himself. "Because of you, you reminded me of what I am fighting for. I thank you for that… But I still want you to stay wherever you are, far from me, for your own good. Be strong and I will let you glance back…" He wanted to smile. "And I might wave back."

(Naboo – the next night)

Celia woke up to a very strange noise. Her ears picked up on the swelling activity before her eyes could open and try to identify the disturbance. Sleepily, she sat up in her bed. She glanced out her window, seeing it was still night.

"Mommy?" she called, rubbing her eyes. "Daddy? Allan?"

She could hear people yelling in the street outside her home. However, they didn't sound like yells of anger or horror. Rather, it sounded like there was a party going on at two in the morning.

Celia slung her legs over the side of her bed and sluggishly walked over to the door on the other side of the room. Stealthily and soundlessly, she opened it up and stepped into the dark hallway. Downstairs, she could hear one of her neighbors talking with Nassie and Det. The child crept over to the top of the stairwell, eavesdropping on the conversation.

"I just got the news now!" the neighbor was practically dancing in joy. "He's dead!"

"Wait, wha..?" Det yawned. Apparently, everyone else in the house was just as sleepy as she was. "What's going on? What the hell's up with the crowd in the streets cheering?"

"He's dead! General Grievous got killed on Utapau! The Republic Army just confirmed it!"

"What? For real?" Allan joined his parents a second later. "Dang, that is a reason to party!"

"Wait, is he really dead?" Det wanted to make sure this was true. "I mean, there can be doppelgangers and other weird…"

"There's no one else like that ugly bloke!" the neighbor asserted. "He's burning in Hell now!"

Nassie could barely breathe. She wore an enormous smile on her face. Then she started squealing in joy and she jumped into her husband's arms.

"Wonderful!" she exclaimed. "Now, the CIS will have to fall! They can't go on now without Dooku and Grievous! The war's going to end!"

"That's not all," their neighbor added, "because apparently, something's going up with the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. My cousin is there and he lives about a few miles away from it. It's on fire and…"

Celia could almost feel her pupils enlarge. She couldn't believe it. It was impossible. The one who had killed a rogue Jedi and saved her from death was himself as dead as a rock. The one who took her in ever so temporarily no longer had his soul within him. Dead.

"Grievous is dead!" She could hear the growing crowds outside cheer and celebrate.

She could feel tears coming to her eyes. Before her neighbor and family members could hear or see her, Celia retreated back into her room. The Human child flopped herself onto her bed and cried into her pillow.

"No, they're lying!" she gasped. "You're not dead! You can't die! You're too strong! You're my friend…"

During her time with him, she slowly began to see him as her new father. She wanted him to be that yet he refused. Now that he was dead, she felt like she lost her parents a second time. Her time bonding with him was short but it was certainly enough for her to have feelings towards him.

Her eyes burned like fire and her heart felt like it was crackling with intense electricity. Celia's little hands clenched her bed sheets and her pillow steadily became drenched. While everyone else rejoiced, she secretly wept, mourning his doom. She hoped that one day they would meet again, somehow, someway: now there was no chance at all.

"You're not dead…" she inhaled sharply. "They're lying! It's not fair! I wanted to see you again after I'd grow up!"

The chanting in the streets only grew louder. Her anxiety skyrocketed. She refused to believe this was the truth but as she kept on hearing the same phrase they repeated, Celia became convinced this was the grisly and horrid truth.

"He's dead…"

Celia grabbed the strip of his cloak that she had beneath her pillow. With her tears still flowing, she ran it through her fingers again. Against the words her told her numerous times, she looked back on the time they spent together.

She remembered she had fallen asleep in his metal lap as they looked for a family that could adopt her. From that little memory, she recalled snuggling up to him as she touched his stomach plate. Everything turned to darkness. But then she woke up the next day, finding herself in her bed. She was tucked in as if her mother or father had done so.

He saved her from the malfunctioning MagnaGuard. He got her locket for her when she asked for it. He fought to protect her from Rax. When she had her panic attack, he calmed and soothed her nerves. And he threatened to kill her when Cody and Obi-Wan tracked him down.

She knew she developed a love for him in that short period of time. But she didn't know if he felt the same way. He seemed to yet he didn't at the same time.

"I will always miss you," she said internally, hoping he could somehow hear her now that he was dead. "You will always be my friend. I don't think you're as bad as some people think you are… I know I love you. I wanted to thank you for taking care of me you. But you wouldn't let me. I'm thanking you now."


	19. Forbidden to Forget

**Yes, I am a horrible person. Yes I probably deserve every name you could call me for not posting the final chapter for two damn years. An excessive amount of ideas for other stories that led me astray from this one, work, lack of ideas to finish/write this final update, Life stuff, laziness and so many other things are the causes of me neglecting this. Sorry guys :( It took me forever to get this done but it's finally completed. **

**Now about this chapter... as you'll see, it takes 44yrs after chapter 18, so it's a big time gap. A lot of things happened between them but I did what I could to summarize what happened through the conversations the characters have with each other and just simple descriptions. Some of Grievous' family members are featured in this chapter too and I admit it was a little tough and confusing to write them and their history/place in the story. So if you guys are confused about anything about them, leave a question in your review or PM me and I will clarify it for you. I'll also admit this chapter was hard for me to write and I still wonder if I could have done a better job on it. If you guys think it's rushed the writing seems a little off, tell me and I'll try to fix it to make it better!**

**So anyway, sorry again for the wait and please enjoy the update! Hopefully this will be worth the wait for you all! And thank you all for reviewing/favoriting/alerting it! I appreciate it very much! :)**

Chapter 19 Forbidden to Forget

(44yrs later – 25.a.b.y.: Coruscant)

"…And that concludes the end of the semester, everyone." Professor Celia Sigbion said, folding her arms slowly across her chest. She sighed, leaning against her podium. "All of you have done spectacularly. Congratulations, you've completed Human Psychology 101. Now all you have to do is to take your final exams and you can set sail to go do better things. Do any of you have any questions at all?"

The college classroom was silent. Celia scanned the faces of her students, on the lookout for any signs of activity or life. Often times, it was like this: silent and sleepy. Then again, it was an early morning class and many people weren't necessarily using their brains at such a time.

"When I mean any questions, I mean any questions," she repeated. "There's no such thing as a dumb question, people. Going once…"

"I have a question, Professor."

Celia brushed away a few stray bangs from her eyes. She curiously eyed the student who spoke out. It was one of her best students; a young Twi'lek man by the name of Saul. He was quite the analytical conversationalist and there was no such thing as a dull conversation with him.

"Shoot me with it, Saul," Celia's challenge was friendly and light hearted.

"I read your book you published regarding the Separatist occupation of Borealia six months before the Clone Wars ended," he said. "Well, specifically, your time within the Separatist encampment when you were five and the psychological states of the minds of the planet's citizens…"

Immediately, Celia could tell all of her students were suddenly and earnestly paying attention. The book Saul spoke of was called '_How I Learned About Life_': it was her personal memoir about that time. Even though she was only five when those events happened, it was still as vivid in her mind as when she was that young. Professor Sigibion personally believed she'd forget the names of her own son and husband first rather than her days with Grievous due to the ravages of old age.

The book was extremely controversial to the galactic population. Various people critiqued her story, claiming she was endangering the sanctity of the New Republic. Others believed she was mentally disturbed and her tale of the days amongst the droid army was a fabrication. Yet there were those who were moved by her account and had praised her for allowing such a tale to be brought to light.

"Yes, I know what you're speaking about, Saul," Celia nodded. "'_How I Learned About Life_'…"

"Yes, Professor." Saul folded his hands together. "It was an incredible read. In fact, it's so astonishing and revealing, it's unbelievable. My question is fairly typical: I just want to hear your answer for myself. Is it all true?"

"As I have maintained before, every single bit of it is true. Many times, I myself can't believe it all happened. But it most certainly did. Although I must comment and perhaps maybe even confess that the Human mind isn't the most perfect thing in the universe. I do not remember every single detail of that incident, especially an event that happened nearly forty decades earlier but funnily enough…" She chuckled softly. "My mind has always been a sharp, keen thing but my body…" The pain in her knees swelled and she ground her jaw. Her arthritis was paining her again. "Is not as enduring and strong as my mind."

"I read another book of yours." A Pau'an student named Catrine joined the conversation, "You know, the psychological profile you've constructed for General Grievous: '_Blackest Ice: An Insight into the Mind and Life of Qymaen jai Sheelal_'. That was…" She paused to find the right word to it. "Controversial. However, I thought it was brilliant."

"It was brilliant enough for me to almost lose my teaching position here at the university. Yet I suppose we all must take risks."

"It's strange because I came from a world that Grievous had taken over: Utapau. My parents were teenagers during his occupation and as a matter of fact, my father had taken part in the Battle of Utapau. They told me about the stories they heard about him regarding his brutality and savagery. But when I read '_Blackest Ice_', I felt pity towards him."

Celia smiled.

"Thank you, Catrine and Saul." She felt legitimately pleased that the young folk were so intrigued by the past. "I'm honored and flattered to have my students read my books."

"But, Professor," yet another student, a Human named Lettice, spoke up, "are you planning on writing more books about the General or your time in the encampment?"

"Two is enough. Besides, I think if I publish another book especially if it's about the Good General, my teaching position will be revoked. I might end up in some slum in Coruscant's underworld too and I'm not too keen on that fate." She paused for a moment. "So much for Human psychology, huh? It appears we went a little off topic but I did say I'd accept any questions… Do you any of you have any more?" Celia glanced at the clock that hung up on the wall across the room. "One more minute left, folks."

Some of her students said 'no', others shook their heads and there were some who only blankly stared ahead. Celia could only grin.

"Alright then, everyone," she picked up. "Your exam is in three days. Study well but don't cram or push yourselves so hard you end up having aneurisms. You've all done excellently and I enjoyed every day I've had you. I hope I'll meet you again since it's always nice to see familiar faces again. Good luck with all your other exams too." Her blue eyes narrowed at the clock. Then Celia remembered she had some plans. "And I have a dedication to go to. Goodbye!"

As soon as she grabbed her pack beneath her podium, the students began to leave. Celia gathered up her papers and books, promptly yet cleanly depositing them into the purse-like bag. She could hear footsteps coming toward her but she didn't look up to confront their owner. Currently, she was much too engaged in trying to gather her belongings.

"Professor Sigbion." It was Saul.

"Yes, Saul?" Celia looked through the bag's contents to make sure she had everything.

"Someone's here to visit you. They're standing out in the hallway."

Celia gasped. She lifted her head up at the Twi'lek.

"Thank you, Saul," she said, brushing some bangs out of her eyes. "I've been expecting that soul. I'll see you on exam day."

She rushed out of the classroom. Her knees burned while she jogged out: her arthritis had been left unrestrained today. In her morning rush fervor, Celia had forgotten to take her pills to dull and ease the pain in her knees. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain and went into the hall.

Once she stepped out into the corridor, she spotted the person whom Saul alerted her to. The person was a woman, specifically, an alien. This species was Kaleesh to be exact. Her black locks were pulled up into a tight bun yet her long bangs hung down into her golden, reptilian eyes. She wore a tunic dress which was colored white and gold. On her arms, she wore golden bangles. The alien lady had a slim and muscular yet not manly build: she had a warrior's physique.

"Professor Halcyn, I presume," the Kaleesh female grinned.

"Kalla," Celia sighed happily.

The two friends embraced each other. They remained close together for a few moments before they broke away.

"Did you forget about today, Celia?" Kalla wondered.

"I've been forgetting about everything," Celia complained. "I forgot to take the medication for my arthritis and it sure shows and feels that way. Don't worry, I never forgot about the dedication… However it's been floating around the back of my mind all day."

Kalla laughed softly.

"You've always been that way since our days in college," she shook her head yet in good temper. "Sometimes you're home in that skull of yours and during other times, you're in a trance like a Jedi. Did you inform Ahab and Alaric you'll be spending a day on Kalee with my family and I?"

"Of course," said Celia. "You know how my husband is… Ahab's always asking me what the day's agenda entails."

"You ought to bring Alaric. I know how much my daughter loves babysitting him. Besides, he's ten so he ought to know how to behave."

"Alaric doesn't understand the meaning of solemnity. I don't want him to misbehave or ruin too much at the dedication. Besides, he's daddy's little boy and he follows Ahab everywhere. Is Melica on Kalee with your family waiting for us?"

"Yes, she's with her father and everyone else." Kalla took Celia's hand. "Come on, Celia! I know you have been waiting to come to the dedication since I told you about the shrine's construction proposal!"

"Will Qymaen, your eldest brother, be there?" Celia mentally shuddered when she recalled meeting and conversing with Grievous' eldest son. He wasn't a very pleasant and friendly fellow. "I know he hates me."

"I will make him welcome you. You ought to know to don't take his hostility personally either. He hates everyone who isn't Kaleesh. He's such a racist isolationist, it makes me sick. Qymaen's my half brother but I feel like you've been a closer sibling to me than he ever was. Even Ceysen and Laetis, his full blooded siblings, dislike him."

"Hmm, well at least I know I'm not the only person who has problems socializing with him."

"You knew that for the past thirty years, Celia. Ever since your parents allowed you to come back to Kalee with me during our semester breaks when we were nineteen, you've known that miserable man. Besides, Qymaen doesn't hate you…" Kalla paused for a moment. "He's just difficult to deal with. You ought to know how gruff those Kaleesh warriors are."

"I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am!" Kalla was smiling when she said this. "After all, you are quite the General Grievous biographer. Now come on! Our shuttle is waiting and we have to be at the shrine before the sunset!"

(Kalee )

Qymaen jai Sheelal, the current overlord of the illustrious, honorable and ancient Sheelal clan, somberly eyed Celia Sigbion. He tightly gripped the head of his walking stick and tried his best not to lean against it to reveal he was no longer in the prime of his life. For sixty years, he had lived a life baptized in the fires of combat. Now, all those decades of battle scars and immense strife were taking a beating on his body. Yet the stubborn and stern Kaleesh male refused to rest.

"Uncle isn't that bad, Aunt Celia," Kalla's nineteen year old daughter, Melica, whispered to the Human. "You just need to spend time with him. He's actually quite nice when no one else is looking around. I'll show you." She waved over to her uncle. "Hi, Uncle!"

"It would show me proper respect if you said 'hello'," Qymaen folded his arms across his chest. "I am your elder for gods' sake."

"He's just in a grumpy mood today. He was alright yesterday…"

"Celia, how good of you to join us here." The aging Kaleesh narrowed his gaze at the approaching form of Celia. "I was beginning to fear you wouldn't grace us with your presence. No doubt my littlest sister had started to chat with you for too long once again."

Kalla shot a menacing glance at her brother.

"All those illusions of grandeur are still floating around in your head," she said bitterly. "I bet you still can't believe how lucky you were to inherit the title of family overlord."

"Kalla, it was a grave misfortune as to how I came to take up the mantle of power. The real heir, our eldest sibling, Ronderu, had committed suicide forty five years earlier. As custom dictates, I was the second eldest child and I took over…"

Celia passively watched Kalla and Qymaen squabble. Ever since she met Kalla in college, all she heard about was Ronderu Sheelal. Kalla had held her full-blooded sister in the highest regard and she had borderline idolized her. She told Celia countless stories about her bravery, skill, compassion and her high sense of honor. From what Celia could gather about this woman, she had been aptly named after Grievous' closest companion, Ronderu lij Kummar, who had been dead for almost seven decades. At times, Kalla told Celia she was convinced Ronderu Sheelal had been a reincarnation of the late Kaleesh demigod. According to what Kalla further told her, Grievous himself sometimes thought his compatriot was reborn as his eldest child too.

From the moment of Ronderu's birth over sixty years ago, she was already predestined to take her father's place as the Sheelal family's highest authority since she was the eldest child (and respectfully, Grievous was the eldest child of his parents). When she was old enough to have sufficient dexterity, she was given a Lig sword and thus began her training in the ways of the warrior. Like her father before her, Ronderu proved to be a prodigy in combat and in no time at all, she had proven her worth. By the time she was fifteen, she was actively participating by Grievous' side on the battlefield, helping him conquer the Huk. The duo had stuck through thick and thin together that was until Grievous' unfortunate shuttle crash…

When he had been rebuilt as a cyborg, Grievous tasked Ronderu with the huge responsibility of safeguarding their homeworld since he was going to be absent on Dooku's whim. She was only eighteen when this responsibility was entrusted to her. Kalla told Celia that her sister clearly wasn't up to the task both mentally and physically but she had tried her best to fulfill the warlord's will. She also revealed that from what she could remember and from what her mother told her about her, Ronderu became irrevocably lost without Grievous' guidance. Many sleepless nights and overwhelming anxiety and pressure had taken their toll on the young warrior. Countless times, she had appealed to the Separatist Council to allow them to let her speak to Grievous so he could come back home and help her. Yet every single time, her pleas had been ignored.

Two years after Grievous' transformation, Ronderu Sheelal had done an unthinkable and highly dishonorable deed. At the age of twenty, she had killed herself. Her father was never informed of her death.

With her suicide, Qymaen, the second eldest child, had taken over his sister's position as Kalee's protector. When Grievous followed his daughter in death a year later, the boy had become the unquestionable figurehead of the Sheelal clan.

Celia continued to observe Kalla and Qymaen squabble, preferring to stay out of these extremely sensitive family matters. Melica on the other hand, was becoming impatient with her bickering mother and uncle. The young Kaleesh lady had come to Kalee to celebrate the dedication of the shrine that was constructed to honor her infamous grandfather. She wasn't going to let them ruin her spirits and the whole atmosphere of the solemn event for that matter. They were in the midst of holy ground and she wouldn't stand for blasphemy.

"Excuse me, Mother and Uncle," Melica spoke up, "but this has to stop now. This is a grand celebration for our family and for our entire planet. Grandfather's been consecrated and added into our most sacred pantheon of gods. I don't think we can afford to fight about past touchy family matters now. Why can't it wait until later?"

Kalla felt a little sheepish. She folded her arms across her chest. Then she nodded approvingly at her daughter. Her eyes narrowed at her eldest brother.

"She's nineteen but she makes sense," she said. "I'm going to listen to her and cease this stupidity, Qymaen. But if you insist on carrying on with this, by all means, go on."

"No, I wholeheartedly agree," Qymaen acknowledged grimly. He wasn't used to being put down. "Young Melica is wise enough after all." The elder cleared his throat. "This is a discussion for another time."

Celia watched as the sun began to dip behind the Jenuwaa Sea's horizon. The sky was a brilliant crimson red. Faintly, she remembered it looked an awful like the Borealian skies after Grievous had conquered the planet forty four years earlier.

A ceremonial horn blared loudly, slicing through the salty sea air. The seabirds had ceased their cawing and even the Jenuwaa Sea had seemed to have fallen silent. The horn echoed for a few seconds before it abruptly died down and the pounding of the waves had replaced it.

"That's the cue," Melica said. "Uncle, is it time to join Elder Kazi in the sanctuary?"

"Yes," Qymaen nodded. "Melica, you may ascend the stairs with your mother." He focused his golden gaze on the Human woman in his presence. "I must speak to the Human first before I join you."

Kalla really didn't want to leave her friend's side. But she highly doubted that her brother would actually harm Celia. He had no blade at his side and his advanced age hindered his ability to move swiftly.

"Let's go, Melica," Kalla grasped her daughter's hand. "We'll meet Celia and your uncle at the sanctuary." She turned to Qymaen. "Elder Kazi won't commence the consecration unless if you are present, brother. Please do not take too long."

Qymaen nodded his gray head slowly. Kalla and Melic began the climb up the stone stairs, making their way to the sanctuary of the temple at the top of the step pyramid. Celia watched as the two Kaleesh ladies solemnly walked up, wishing she was standing beside them. Being in the patriarch's presence always unnerved her.

"Celia," the gruff man said, "it is not everyday a foreigner is granted access to our hallowed shrines and temples." Qymaen paced around her. "To be honest, I cannot believe I am granting you access to this dedication to begin with. I am not trusting of aliens, particularly the Huk and Humans. The Huk War and the damn Imperials made me loathe them."

"I am aware you don't approve of me, Qymaen," she said calmly, making sure she wouldn't offend the old warrior. "But it means a lot to me that you had allowed me to be present here today regardless."

"There are only two reasons why that is the case, psychologist." He sounded disgusted when he said 'psychologist'. "Firstly, you are Kalla's most trusted friend. She sees you as the twin sister she never had. She sees you in a bright light and she insisted on you being here today. I do not see you so much as a threat and you are the respectable soul when you are ordered to be. I trust you enough to show reverence to the man who had no inclination to spare you."

Celia bit her tongue back at the bitter Kaleesh. In all honesty, she wasn't particularly fond of him but she respected him. She only kept her head up high and maintained eye contact with him. The woman was half expecting him to swipe at her with his clawed hand.

Qymaen's glare then softened ever so slightly. He gripped his cane a little tighter. Then he cleared his throat.

"The last reason why I allowed you to join us today was because you had done my father a great honor," he said respectfully. "You had shown the galaxy as he truly was through your academic expertise…" He scowled at the thought of higher institutions of learning but he did admit that through Celia's work, she had painted Grievous in the light as his fellow Kaleesh saw him. "You have portrayed him as the hero he truly is. True, he was twisted by the machinations of the bankers and the Sith lords but beneath all that darkness, there was a glorious man: a son of Kalee. Many citizens of the galaxy had believed him to be a ruthless, mindless, bloodthirsty mechanical beast from Hell itself. With your works, you had suggested otherwise. Those galactic denizens frowned upon your efforts and you had been critiqued harshly for such things… You were threatened with prison, the loss of your job and separation from your husband and son…"

Celia actually gasped when Qymaen placed a hand on her forearm. Her eyes were wide and her jaw dropped a little. He noticed her shock but he ignored it.

"I want to thank you for showing him honor in death when you had no need to do so, Celia," he went on. "My family and the whole of Kalee thank you as well. May my father's spirit smile upon you from Heaven…"

(Planet Hyleea; The Outer Rim)

The typical intergalactic tourist's opinion of the backwater, unspoiled, virgin world of Hyleea was one of appreciation and wonder. Anyone who went there would have been astonished by the fact that there are still some undiscovered, beautiful worlds left in this galaxy. The signs of civilization were sparse but were certainly promising in the form of colonies that sporadically dotted the planet-wide forest. There were no intelligent, dominant, alien natives that lorded over the planet and it was controlled by nature and nature alone. Humans, Twi'leks, Duros and handful of other species that had travelled to the planet for a chance at a peaceful life, had become the new masters of Hyleea now and had dethroned the beasts.

One of the most enduring and magnificent of Hyleea's features was the Blue Haze Mountain Chain. It started in the planet's northern hemisphere, extended down past its equator and well into the southern hemisphere. It had revolved between regal, snowcapped peaks, high, grassy hills or a rocky terrain as it ran down the length of the planet. The mountain range got its name from the bluish mist that could be seen when the first slivers of sunshine ushered in the dawn of a new day. This anomaly was more commonly seen in the colder, more humid northern hemisphere where the mountains were more proud and forbidding-looking.

In the shadow of one of the most notorious northern mountains, Mount Grief, there was a tiny colony that went by the name of Sauza. The inhabitants of this small settlement were primarily trappers, mountaineers, pilots, or some lost, desperate souls who wanted to start life anew on another planet. The total population of Sauza ranged at around one hundred fifty folks. It was a relatively tight-knit community where practically everyone knew one another and had depended on each other for one thing or another. Despite that some of the residents were former petty criminals who had been accused of pick-pocketing or some other form of misdemeanor, everyone had gotten along fairly well for the most part. That had been the sole reason why the colony had managed to survive for the past ten years to begin with; cooperation.

(…)

"You're winded already?"

The young Devaronian shook his head incredulously. He dug the tip of his boots deeper into the rocky, non-tillable soil and with a groan of exertion and exhaustion, took the final steps. The alien was tempted to rip his bulky jacket off because of the beads of sweat that had plagued and soaked his back. But he stopped himself from doing this, knowing that the chilly, brisk air at the top of Mount Grief could potentially make him sick. Although it was summer in this hemisphere, it was still cold enough where snow still crowned the top of the mountain.

The old man that had spoken tauntingly to him was his friend and tutor, an old Neimoidian trapper by the name of Byle. Byle had arrived to Hyleea when Sauza was first founded and had called it home ever since. He was around sixty five years old and he had served in the Clone Wars as an engineer working with a repair crew on a frigate. To escape the prejudices and the oppressiveness of the Empire, he had hopped from planet to planet in the Outer Rim territories where the institution's authority was less centralized and prominent.

"Byle, I still ain't used to this mountain," Les explained. "I know it sounds pathetic but it's the truth."

"Get used to it or it will break you," the old Neimoidian said, slapping a hand on his back.

"Sometimes I forget about why I became a trapper when I start climbing this monster."

"Because you had nothing more to offer. I took pity on you and took you in."

"Ah, that's right."

"Besides, you'll get used to these mountains. Since I've been climbing them for the past ten years, they merely become hills to me."

Les inhaled, getting a nice big whiff of clean, invigorating mountain air. He set his hands on his hips and took a look at his surroundings. As far as he could see, there was nothing but gray-brown mountains and pure white snow that capped their peaks. Down at the base of the massive landmasses, there were verdant, fertile woods that glowed a deep emerald color with its foliage. Overhead, he could see a Hyleean crested eagle fly past him and Byle.

"You regret coming here instead of taking that prison sentence?" Byle asked his pupil.

"Not at all," the younger alien answered. "This beats prison by a long shot. Changed me for the better too." He paused for a moment when he saw something in the snow ten feet away from where he and Byle stood. "Hey, Byle…"

Les walked over to the strange imprint he spotted, studying while approaching it slowly. As he got closer, he realized that this looked to be like an animal track of some sort. What it was exactly, he wasn't entirely sure. He knelt down and carefully fingered the odd footprint.

It was heavily set into the snow as if a creature with considerable mass had done this. Although Les never recalled seeing Hyleean crested eagle markings before in the snow, he was sure this had to have been the most likely culprit due to the claw marks visible in the snow. Yet at the same time, as long as he kept studying it, he began to realize this was no predatory bird's mark.

"Byle, what do you reckon can make a track like this?" he asked, not looking away from the enigma. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like this."

The old trapper took a few steps closer to where Les was kneeling down. He took one look at the footprint and knew instantly what had made this. His deep red eyes narrowed. Then he nodded his head and placed a hand on his chin.

"That's nothing to worry about," he answered.

"'Nothing'?" Les said incredulously. "This footprint is huge! What can do this?"

"You needn't worry as I've said, stop making a ruckus over it."

"Are you serious?! I'd have to say that the thing that made this has to be as big as a Wookiee!"

"Shut up or you'll cause an avalanche. When I say don't worry, don't worry. What don't you understand about that?"

Les stood up. At last, he looked away from the footprint and directed his full attention to his friend.

"I want to know what it is because when you die, no one else is going to probably give me an answer as to what it is," Les explained. "And why do you keep telling me to not worry? Is there some kind of undiscovered species you're trying to protect from the others? I won't tell them anything if that is the case!"

"It doesn't need my protection," Byle stated casually. "It can kill us all very easily with zero effort."

"So, it's a threat…"

"Not necessarily. It's only a threat when it's provoked." Byle looked down. "Okay, enough of the charade. It's a he, not an 'it'. I was going to wait for a few more years but I assume it is safe to let you in on a little secret."

"I'm all ears as you can imagine." He pointed to the footprint. "Who is this 'he'? What kind of monster is he?"

Byle slapped a hand against his forehead. He groaned lowly, really wishing that Les would have a better choice of words to address the situation at him. Then again, Les never really was good with his word structure. The Neimoidian knew that the imprint's maker was definitely close and most likely eavesdropping on their conversation. He just hoped he wasn't offended by his pupil's ignorance.

"Well…" This secret had been kept by Byle since he first wandered up onto the mountain ten years ago. He didn't quite rehearse how he was going to reveal it to Les. It would only be a matter of time the boy would find out since he was grooming him to be his heir. "How can I put this delicately without inciting panic and disbelief for you?"

"Out with it, old timer," Les smirked. "I can take it."

Byle spied upon a huge, hulking figure that was advancing upon the Devaronian from behind. Amazingly, as his talons compressed the snow beneath his heavy body, he made little to no noise.

"Uh," Byle hesitated, watching the ravaged cyborg come closer. "Can I trust you to not make a ruckus? That includes screaming."

"For star's sake!" Les was clearly frustrated. "I think I can take it! Now tell me before I get fed up and leave this planet altogether!"

Behind Les, the metal man rolled his eyes in impatience and stood upright, abandoning his classical, habitual, hunched posture. His golden-colored reptilian eyes stared down at the shorter and much younger lifeform.

Byle didn't tear his gaze away from him. Then he extended his hand out, gesturing the third soul to speak and introduce himself.

The Kaleesh nodded his masked head.

"I've heard Byle speak promisingly of you, Les," their strange looking company spoke at last. "But I've also heard him say you have a weak set of nerves."

Les visibly flinched when he heard the deep, powerful voice speak. Upon realizing it came from behind startled him immensely and he spun around in his fervor. As soon as he did that, he didn't realize just how close the entity was standing behind him; about five feet. When his eyes fell upon the strong, sturdy inorganic frame, he felt like screaming.

What Les had seen was a very odd and startling sight. A metal man stood directly behind him, looking a lot like a macabre, inorganic skeleton of sorts. He towered above him and Byle, easily standing above seven feet. The peculiar entity was garbed in a fur cloak that protected and helped to create warmth for what very little remained of his organic nature. Although the cloak was heavy and concealed much of his frame, Les could spy a blackened ring that was centralized around the cyborg's chest; it almost looked as if he had scorched somehow. There was further evidence of this mysterious burning around his mask's eye holes. The Devaronian could've sworn he could see bone poking from beneath the scarred flesh on the man's face. A pair of golden, reptilian eyes that stared back at him and didn't assuage the mounting terror her felt as he studied his deathly visage. His frightened gaze turned down to the half droid's feet, seeing that they were monstrous talons (and most likely the set of feet responsible for the footprints he had discovered). Les' stare then traveled upwards once more, taking in his entire form in complete shock and disbelief.

Grievous could very easily see the all too familiar look of terror in Les' eyes. He had seen these horrified eyes many, many times over the course of his career as the Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies. Apparently, his legacy would continue to instill fear for many generations to come based upon the mortified expression etched onto the Devaronian's face. Four decades had passed but his deathly visage was still prominent; even a member of the new generation could easily remember the face that belonged to the masked creature.

"The news of my 'death' was indeed correct, young Les," Grievous said, trying to placate the junior trapper. He figured that if he at least tried to explain himself then Les wouldn't have a fear-induced heart attack. "I thought I was going to be given eternal rest but of course, the vile old men I worked for would not let me have peace…"

Before he could further elaborate on this conundrum, Les' eyes rolled into the back of his head. His body lost control of itself, going quite slack and lifeless. He began to fall backwards and onto the icy ground.

Sighing in annoyance, Grievous lashed his hand out and caught his company by the collar of his jacket, halting his fall. He knelt down, gently bringing Les' unconscious body with him. The cyborg set him upon the ground and stood back up to direct his full attention to Byle. He briefly looked back at Les and scoffed loudly.

"For the past forty four years, it seems that the desolation and harshness of these mountains has made me softer instead of colder," he said. "How is that possible?"

Byle bowed to him respectfully. Even though he was no longer obligated to serve him or let alone show courtesy to him, the Neimoidian still felt it was necessary and polite to do so. After all, he was once an engineer and Grievous was at one point the leader of the CIS.

Instead of nodding his head in approval, Grievous merely shook his head in disappointment. He clenched and unclenched his skeletal hands.

"No need for that," he told Byle. "I am your superior no longer. I am merely no one now. I am supposed to be dead, remember?"

"You claim you're a shattered shell of yourself but I see more than what you claim," Byle smirked. "I am indebted to you after all, sir. If you had not grabbed my hand when my footing slipped from that icy cliff face…"

"And there is no need for that especially." Grievous waved his hand dismissively. He maintained the usual gruff, rugged tone in his voice. "I've told you why I decided to spare you…"

Since they had known each other for ten years and had conversed many times, Byle felt as if he could confidently call the former droid general his friend. He was also quite sure that Grievous felt the same way about him although verbally, the cyborg would most likely never say it. Byle was not at all offended by that possibility. From what he had heard of his former lord during the Clone Wars and from what he had seen firsthand since he met him, he knew that he was not the most affectionate and tender soul in the galaxy. He was not one who would so easily call someone his friend even if the two souls had known each other for a decade or more.

"Oh, I know," Byle said. He wouldn't elaborate on it anymore unless if Grievous decided to speak further about it.

The four decades the Kaleesh warlord spent lurking and hiding in these mountains with no one else to talk to or keep him company were indeed some sobering and revealing years for him. For so long, he had been left alone with himself and his thoughts. It was during that solitude and countless hours of meditation and reflection that he realized things that he would not even give second thought to when he was still fighting in the Clone Wars.

"It was that week when I hovered between the thresholds of life and death that I saw things for what they were," Grievous resumed. "I was dead…but not quite… When my eyes went dark after the flames engulfed my frame…" He paused to properly sort through his brain to find the correct words to use to summarize the reasons for his reformation. Even after his miraculous resurrection he still had a difficult time describing what had happened despite the fact he already told Byle of it. "He was there…"

The tale Grievous told Byle was a very odd one indeed but the Neimoidian believed it. He remained silent for a few seconds before speaking up again.

"The Count," Byle said darkly.

"Yes," Grievous said with venom and bitterness in his voice. "The one and only Count… I suppose I was dead because I remember looking at my charred husk lying on that platform. Dooku confronted me as soon as he felt me enter into his odd dimension or limbo of sorts. He told me that he discovered the grand and true machinations of Darth Sidious and Chancellor Palpatine who turned out to be the same conniving bastard. The whole universe was just one giant game for him in which he decided to just win it all without any thought or consideration to those he hurt and destroyed in the process… But Dooku also told me of the evils he himself had committed against me." He felt his anger swelling. It was still painful to recall on that memory. "It was Dooku who had orchestrated my crash and pinned the blame on the Jedi. It was Dooku who tampered with my mind and altered it as he saw fit. I wish I could've slain him but it was a foolish notion because the dead cannot kill the dead after all. He said the reason why he told me his crimes was because he said he needed to alleviate the guilt from himself. He also went on to say it was the right thing to do…"

Grievous looked to his right. For a moment, he needed to collect his thoughts in silence and contemplation.

"It was only a pity that you did not revive more quickly," Byle noted. "If you had the knowledge his spirit bestowed onto you and you had come back, you'd be able to still challenge the Emperor."

"What could I have done?!" Grievous sneered. He had lost his temper when Byle said that latter sentence. "Indeed, I trained myself in the ways of lightsaber combat for two decades after I had been revived and I had plotted to confront Sidious and slay him for what he had done…but I gave up my quest when I saw that I was hopeless and worthless as long as the Force was absent in me. He was a Sith lord; possibly the most powerful Sith that the galaxy had the misfortune of having. Realistically, what could I do? One blast of his accursed lightning would finish me before I could even cross blades with him. Not only that, his monstrous pupil would stop me. So I decided to let it become someone else's burden…" The cyborg laughed harshly. "And you should've seen the shock in my eyes whenI found out that it turned out that it was Vader himself who destroyed Sidious. The Sith will only kill each other in the end. The chip Dooku placed in my head when I first got this body turned out to be a curse. True, it had survived the fire that consumed much of my remnants and reanimated me but it gave me no purpose to live. I saw that the Jedi were equally as victimized as I was and they had been driven to extinction, so therefore, I could make no more additions to my trophy collection. My armies were deactivated, the Separatist Council had been eradicated and the Republic had transformed into the Empire… I had no place in the galaxy anymore. I was still considered deceased to all and I decided it was best to remain undercover. So I came here to live out the rest of my existence. In the end, it all turned out nicely because I don't want any part of this galaxy. The Jedi Order has been revived and I lost my desire for revenge. Now that I have learned the truth, I much prefer them than the Sith. All I am is a legend now, a ghost of the past. I have changed since my ruthless days. In fact, I feel more like the man I was before I had been rebuilt." He would've been smiling underneath his mask if he had his lower jaw. "I prefer to be that man instead of the beast who had been put down by Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Respectfully, Byle let Grievous continue on with his musings. He pitied him because he was the only soul the half-droid talked to. In Byle's mind, he saw that Grievous needed whatever good company he could get and he had no problem with visiting him in the mountains every few days. Before he had arrived on Hyleea and helped his fellow settlers set up the colony of Sauza, Grievous had spent three lonesome decades in the mountains with no one's company save for himself and the planet's beasts. Byle had planned on remaining friends with him for as long as he could but he also knew that he was aging. There would come a day when he would no longer be able to scale the summits. It somewhat worried him because he felt concerned for the cyborg's sanity.

"But don't you miss the galaxy?" he pressed. "I think you would be lying if you said that you don't."

Grievous scoffed.

"Of course I do!" the former warlord exclaimed. "You have no idea how much I'd love to be able to go about of my own free accord and will. It would feel exhilarating to get off this planet..." Grievous briefly turned his attention to Les' still unconscious form. "But far too many still know my face. Besides, any punishment that the New Republic authorities would thrust upon me if they had found me and tried me would pale in comparison to what I've been forced to face for these past few decades… This planet is my penance and my final home. This is where I will stay until I die." He sighed heavily and looked back to Byle. "That is, if I ever die. I am old yet since I have been granted this body, I haven't aged. The reanimation chip and the reconstructive nanobots it holds in my head just makes it all the more difficult to die…and don't you worry. I'm far too proud of a warrior to kill myself to escape my fate."

Byle said nothing for a moment but then spoke up once again. He wet his lips before he said the words on his tongue.

"What would you do if someone found you alive and well?" his tone sounded a little dark and unsure.

Grievous had mulled over that one question for many, many years. His first and foremost reaction would be to kill this someone so that no one else would know the truth. But as time dragged on, he found himself not really feeling keen towards such a brutal action.

"It all depends on who it is, Byle," was his answer. "If it was someone who I had known and granted mercy towards or had been a comrade or family member, I would tell them to forget that they ever saw me and move along with their lives. They would need to turn their back on me and never spare a passing glance or thought…because I would do the same if I were them."

Every once in awhile, he remembered he told those exact words to someone so long ago. Her face had faded and blurred from his memory as time wore on but he still remembered the name of the Human child who was once so fascinated by him. He had not seen her since he had been forced to flee Borealia when he had been defeated by the Republic. By now, she had to have been close to fifty and time undoubtedly would not have been kind to her just as it had been with him. Wherever she was, he had wished her luck and hoped that her life had turned out to be far better than what he could have ever offered if he did end up adopting her for whatever unlikely reason. Even now, he still had a hard time trying to compute why exactly she had seen past his terrible reputation and showed no fear before him. Anymore, he just dismissed it and decided that it was a mystery that the younglings of the galaxy would forever possess.

As long as he remained "dead" to the whole of the galaxy, that was all that mattered to Grievous. His children would never seek for him as long as history remained unchanged. He couldn't bear to have them suffer hardships and great turmoil if they had rediscovered him and sought to rekindle their connection to their father. Just as he felt that same way to his offspring, he started to feel the same for that foolish Borealian orphan. Of course he would never admit it out loud but he was almost glad that they had spent those few days together…

* * *

**Ooookkkkaaaayyyyy... now I thought about a possible sequel but I have so many scant ideas I don't think it'd be fair to post one for you guys and not end up updating forever again or just deleting it. So unless if I get a lot of ideas and motivation for a sequel, I just might post it. Or if you guys badger me in writing one, I might post it then too ;) Again, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!**


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